SECORE International has developed a coral seeding method that utilizes assisted reproduction - breeding corals to help restore reefs. This approach has been implemented across the Caribbean through a network of training and partners.&nbsp;



A recent study confirms that the coral seeding method is making a significant impact: during the severe 2023 heatwave in the Caribbean, young <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-corals-and-reefs-are-showing-surprising-resilience-as-global-waters-warm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">corals</a> that were bred through SECORE's efforts remained healthy, while many wild corals bleached and died.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-seeding-in-the-caribbean-nbsp">Coral seeding in the Caribbean&nbsp;</h2>



The summer of 2023 brought devastation to many coral reefs in the Caribbean Basin. An unprecedented <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-escalate-coral-bleaching-threats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heatwave</a>, both in intensity and duration, hit the region, leading to widespread coral bleaching. 



With high seawater temperatures persisting, many corals were unable to recover and perished.&nbsp;



However, during this time of crisis, a hopeful discovery was made by SECORE’s Restoration Coordinator in Mexico, Sandra Mendoza Quiroz.&nbsp;



While conducting a routine dive to monitor their outplanted corals, she found that the young corals they had bred were healthy, standing out among the bleached and dying reefs.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-assisted-reproduction-and-coral-survival">Assisted reproduction and coral survival</h2>



Similar findings were reported by SECORE’s team in Curaçao, where another species of bred coral had withstood the heat.



“We were excited to observe this pattern showing another benefit of using assisted coral recruits in restoration,” said Margaret Miller, research director of <a href="https://www.secore.org/site/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SECORE</a>.



The team in Curaçao and Mexico, working with Coralium Lab at the <a href="https://www.unam.mx/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México</a>, collected data on the health of various species and groups of outplanted corals. 



The experts reached out to partners across their Caribbean Restoration Network, including the Dominican Foundation for Marine Studies, the <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/caribbean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean</a>, and Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire. 



Together, the researchers confirmed that young corals bred for restoration were significantly more resistant to bleaching compared to their wild counterparts across six coral species at 15 reef sites in five different Caribbean nations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-seeding-builds-resilience-nbsp">Coral seeding builds resilience&nbsp;</h2>



This study marks the first scientific evidence that corals restored using natural reproduction methods demonstrate greater resistance to extreme sea temperatures than wild or fragmented corals.



Miller, who has been breeding corals in the Caribbean for over 30 years, expressed optimism about the findings.&nbsp;



“These results provide a lot of encouragement and confirmation that restoration using assisted coral recruits can play an important role in orchestrating coral persistence into our warmer future,” said Miller.&nbsp;



“Nonetheless, truly securing the future of coral reefs is absolutely dependent on humankind’s success in controlling global warming.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-producing-millions-of-coral-embryos-nbsp">Producing millions of coral embryos&nbsp;</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reef-sounds-the-melodic-key-to-coral-restoration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coral restoration</a> methods have evolved significantly in the past decade. Traditionally, corals were propagated by breaking fragments off source colonies and growing them in nurseries before manually transplanting them onto the reef. 



Today, SECORE’s coral seeding approach, which breeds corals specifically for restoration, is widely implemented throughout the Caribbean.&nbsp;



This method involves collecting coral spawn from wild corals, fertilizing the eggs and sperm in a controlled environment (either on a boat or beach), and producing millions of coral embryos.&nbsp;



The coral larvae are grown in ocean enclosures and settled on special substrates before being outplanted onto the reef.



Each generation of corals that reproduces naturally receives a new combination of genes, enhancing their ability to adapt.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-importance-of-the-new-breeding-efforts">Importance of the new breeding efforts</h2>



The study revealed that the young corals produced through breeding showed greater resistance to bleaching than adult coral colonies and fragments.&nbsp;



However, due to the recruitment failure of many reef-building species in the Caribbean, natural offspring are rare, which further underscores the importance of SECORE’s breeding efforts.



Dirk Petersen, the founder of&nbsp; SECORE, is thrilled with the study’s positive results.&nbsp;



“Our coral seeding approach is an important contribution to help coral reefs deal with climate change,” said Petersen. “Our investment over the past five years to build a large network for coral restoration in the Caribbean has paid off.”&nbsp;



“This network not only produces and outplants tens of thousands of corals every year but could also immediately assess how these corals responded to this unprecedented heatwave. Our priority is now to further scale efforts to the ecosystem level.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-chance-for-coral-reefs-to-survive">A chance for coral reefs to survive</h2>



Coral restoration, however, is not a solo endeavor. It requires collaboration across various disciplines, from science and engineering to on-the-ground implementation.&nbsp;



The process involves logistics, effectiveness, and thorough training, and must be grounded in strong management strategies that engage local communities.&nbsp;



While coral restoration is crucial, it alone cannot solve the broader challenges posed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-study-provides-answers-to-how-coral-reefs-can-survive-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a>. Still, it provides vital time to help coral populations survive in the face of environmental pressures.



“Our Caribbean Training and Capacity Building Program has turned out to be a successful model, which we urgently need to take to other regions across the world,” Petersen said.&nbsp;



In his view, as extreme weather events continue to increase in frequency and severity, regions beyond the Caribbean will also be affected.&nbsp;



“Restoration measures are best implemented at an early stage to strengthen the reefs. Once degradation has reached a critical level, restoration becomes much more challenging,” said Petersen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-coral-restoration-efforts">Expanding coral restoration efforts</h2>



SECORE is now expanding its efforts globally. In 2023, the organization hosted its first training session for participants from U.S. jurisdictions in the Western Pacific and plans to establish a team in Mauritius by the end of the year.&nbsp;



This new base will serve as a hub for restoration training in the Indian Ocean. “Restoration truly is a cooperative effort - let’s all work together to give these valuable ecosystems a future!” Peterson concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309719" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLoS ONE</a>.



-----



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‘Coral seeding’ increases resistance to extreme heatwaves

SECORE International has developed a coral seeding method that utilizes assisted reproduction - breeding corals to help restore reefs. This approach has been implemented across the Caribbean through a network of training and partners.&nbsp; A recent study confirms that the coral seeding method is making a significant impact: during the severe 2023 heatwave in the Caribbean, young corals that were bred through SECORE's efforts remained healthy, while many wild corals bleached and died. Coral seeding in the Caribbean&nbsp; The summer of 2023 brought devastation to many coral...

Pesticides are almost as widely studied as they are widely used. From Rachel Carson’s famous book Silent Spring to the ever growing organic produce market, many people have found ways to either expose or avoid the dangers of certain pesticides. Most recently, biologists at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> have shown for the first time that the popular pesticide thiamethoxam can significantly damage the ability of honey bees to fly. 

Thiamethoxam is a widely utilized neonicotinoid insecticide used on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cover-crops-climate-change/">crops</a> such as corn, soybeans, and cotton. Prior research had shown that foraging honey bees that ingested neonicotinoid pesticides were less likely to return to their home nest, which led to population declines.

In a study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">UC San Diego</a> postdoctoral researcher Simone Tosi, biology professor James Nieh, and associate professor Giovanni Burgio of the <a href="http://www.unibo.it/en/homepage">University of Bologna, Italy</a>, supported their hypothesis that thiamethoxam impairs flight ability.

The researchers determined this by building a flight mill – which is a bee flight-testing instrument – from scratch and flying bees under consistent and controlled conditions. Bees that were exposed to typical levels of this neonicotinoid had severely impaired flight distance, duration, and velocity. 

Long-term exposure to thiamethoxam over a period of one or two days reduced flight ability, while short-term exposure actually increased their activity levels. The bees would fly farther, but in a noticeably more erratic pattern. “Bees that fly more erratically for greater distances may decrease their probability of returning home,” says Nieh.

Although the pesticide does not result in the immediate death of these bees, its effects can eventually lead to their demise. “The honey bee is a highly social organism, so the behavior of thousands of bees are essential for the survival of the colony,” explains Nieh. “We’ve shown that a sub-lethal dose may lead to a lethal effect on the entire colony.”

Neonicotinoid insecticides are used globally in a number of crops through spray, soil, and seed applications. Scientists have found evidence of these insecticides in the nectar and pollen that honey bees collect, leading to concern on how these insecticides are affecting bees around the world.

The importance of honey bees cannot be overstated. They are a keystone species in many ecosystems, and provide the extremely necessary pollination of crops all over the world. Further decline in these populations could result in major problems for food security and availability in countries on every continent. 

--

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://ucsd.edu/">University of California, San Diego</a>

Widely used pesticide could cause even more honey bee deaths

Pesticides are almost as widely studied as they are widely...

It is common knowledge that many birds share parenting duties. It may come as a surprise, however, how the daily workload is divided in some species. A new study provides evidence that certain birds have mastered the art of negotiation. When one parent is weak or tired, the other takes over. Researchers developed a study on Common Murres to get more insight into this parental arrangement among <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-dehydration-climate-change/">birds.</a>

Linda Takahashi, Anne Storey, and Carolyn Walsh of <a href="http://www.mun.ca/">Newfoundland's Memorial University</a> teamed up with Sabina Wilhelm of the Canadian Wildlife Service to study the cooperation between Common Murres. 

"We had been doing murre field work for years in Witless Bay studying reproductive and parental behavior, and we became intrigued with the variation that we saw among pairs in their nest relief behaviors," says Walsh. "Some nest reliefs were short and businesslike, while other nest reliefs seemed to involve a lot of interaction between the mates, and it took a long time for the mates to exchange brooding duty.”

In the summer of 2009, the researchers set up on an island off the coast of Newfoundland to observe 16 pairs of Common Murres with chicks. They recorded the birds’ interactions at the nest and captured them to assess their body weight. 

The study, published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, revealed the murres prolonged the process of switching duties when one of the partners displayed low body mass. These intelligent birds took advantage of this time to update each other on how they were doing. The weaker partner conveyed a lack of energy to leave the nest. As a result, the stronger parent took on the tiresome task of hunting for food. In some cases, a murre returning empty-handed from gathering food was relieved of duty despite an unsuccessful trip.

Tony Gaston is a seabird researcher for Environment Canada. He explained,"The roles of avian pair members have been much studied in terms of energy investment and food delivery, but we are accustomed to thinking of these problems in terms of evolutionary tradeoffs. The ways in which contributions are actually negotiated within individual pairs has, until recently, been largely overlooked.”

According to Gaston, the findings of this study will lead to further research on the communication and breeding behaviors of various species of birds.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a>

Source: <a href="http://www.mun.ca/">Newfoundland's Memorial University</a>

Photo Credit: L. Takahashi

What we can learn from birds about parenting

It is common knowledge that many birds share parenting duties....

In order to avoid being overheard by killer whales, newborn humpback whales “whisper” to their mothers, according to a new study by <a href="http://www.au.dk/en/">Aarhus Universit</a>y.

Humpbacks spend their summers in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctica-biodiversity-problem/">Antarctica</a> or the Arctic, and migrate in the winter to the tropics to breed and mate. 

"This migration is very demanding for young calves,” said lead author Simone Videsen. “They travel 5,000 miles across open water in rough seas and with strong winds. Knowing more about their suckling will help us understand what could disrupt this critical behavior, so we can target conservation efforts more effectively."

With colleagues from <a href="http://www.murdoch.edu.au/">Murdoch University</a>, Videsen tagged eight calves and two mothers to record the faint sounds of the calves in Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia.

Newborn humpbacks communicate with their mothers with intimate grunts and squeaks - not the loud, haunting song of the male humpback whale, the study found.

The quiet calls usually occurred while whales were swimming, which could help the mother and calf stay together.

 "We also heard a lot of rubbing sounds, like two balloons being rubbed together, which we think was the calf nudging its mother when it wants to nurse," said Videsen.

Quiet communication also reduces the risk of being overheard by killer whales nearby, she believes: "Killer whales hunt young humpback calves outside Exmouth Gulf, so by calling softly to its mother the calf is less likely to be heard by killer whales, and avoid attracting male humpbacks who want to mate with the nursing females, " Videsen said.

The findings will help conserve the humpback habitat and ensure these nursery waters are kept as quiet as possible, the researchers said.

"From our research, we have learned that mother-calf pairs are likely to be sensitive to increases in ship noise,”  Videsen said.”Because mother and calf communicate in whispers, shipping noise could easily mask these quiet calls."

--

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.au.dk/en/">Aarhus University</a>

Image Credit: Fredrik Christiansen

Newborn whales “whisper” to moms to avoid danger

In order to avoid being overheard by killer whales, newborn...

A new study has emerged that puts a social psychology theory to the test. Researchers from the <a href="http://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> set out to observe how thoughts of death can influence people’s decisions. They wanted to try and understand the psychology behind harming animals or humans. The results of the study showed that humans are more open to the idea of killing animals when reminded of their own mortality. 

The terror management theory is based upon the work of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, who explored the subliminal motives behind human behavior. The research team wanted to expand upon this theory to see if the fear of dying may cause people to become more supportive of killing animals. They hoped data from the study could also be used to help understand the motivation of murdering humans. 

Participants in the study answered questions about their positions on animal rights and were presented with a series of images. Half of the individuals were given a subtle “death prime,” such as an image of a t-shirt featuring a skull or the word “dead” flashing onto the screen. The rest of the group was shown alternative words like “pain” and “fail,” and the t-shirt they viewed contained no image of a skull.

Next, both groups were given a series of statements about killing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hunting-reduces-populations/">animals</a> and were asked to rate how much they agree with each of the statements. In every experiment, contributors who received the death prime were more supportive of killing animals, regardless of their status in the beginning of the study. Even people who identified themselves with the protection of animal rights responded to the death prime in favor of statements that justified killing animals.

The study was led by Uri Lifshin, a doctoral student in the <a href="http://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona </a>Department of Psychology. "If you're an animal lover or if you care about animals rights, then overall, yes, you are going to support the killing of animals much less; however when you're reminded of death you're still going to be a little bit more reactive," Lifshin said. 

The terror management theory poses the idea that humans use self-confidence as a shield against their fear of death. In a previous study, Lifshin and his team tested basketball players and found they improved their performance on the basketball court when reminded of their mortality. The athletes showed increased self-esteem as a reaction to the subject of death. In a different experiment, the team noted that participants who were given a boost of self-confidence were unaffected by the death prime.

"We didn't find that people's general state of self-esteem made a difference; it was this self-esteem boost," Lifshin said. "Once your self-esteem is secured, you no longer need to satisfy the need for terror management by killing animals."

The team hopes the findings of this study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, can be used to analyze the motivation behind murder and genocide.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.arizona.edu/"> University of Arizona</a>

Humans care less about animal rights when faced with mortality

A new study has emerged that puts a social psychology...

Homo floresiensis, a tiny human species otherwise known as the hobbit, most likely evolved from an ancestor in Africa and not from Homo erectus as has been widely believed, a new study found.

The fossil study by <a href="http://www.anu.edu.au/">Australian National University</a> found Homo floresiensis were most likely a sister species of Homo habilis, one of the earliest known species of human found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/east-african-little-collared-fruit-bat-myonycteris-relicta/">Africa</a> 1.75 million years ago.

The fossil of Homo floresiensis was discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003, where it lived until as recently as 54,000 years ago.

The new study concludes there was no evidence for the theory that Homo floresiensis evolved from the much larger Homo erectus, which lived on the Indonesian mainland of Java.

Study leader Dr. Debbie Argue of the ANU School of Archaeology &amp; Anthropology, said the results should help put to rest a debate that has been hotly contested since the discovery of Homo floresiensis.

"It's possible that Homo floresiensis evolved in Africa and migrated, or the common ancestor moved from Africa then evolved into Homo floresiensis somewhere," Argue said.

Previous research had focused mostly on the skull and lower jaw, but the new study used 133 data points ranging across the skull, jaws, teeth, arms, legs and shoulders.

Dr Argue said none of the data supported the theory that Homo floresiensis evolved from Homo erectus.

"We found that if you try and link them on the family tree, you get a very unsupported result. All the tests say it doesn't fit -- it's just not a viable theory," she said

The analyses could also support the theory that Homo floresiensis could have branched off earlier in the timeline, more than 1.75 million years ago.

"If this was the case Homo floresiensis would have evolved before the earliest Homo habilis, which would make it very archaic indeed," she 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="http://www.anu.edu.au/">Australian National University</a>

Image Credit: Katrina Kenny, SA Museum

Hobbit not descended from homo erectus, study finds

Homo floresiensis, a tiny human species otherwise known as the...

Dog breeds from Central and South America, such as the Peruvian Hairless Dog and the Xoloitzcuintle, are likely related to an ancient “New World Dog” that migrated across the Bering Strait with ancestors of Native Americans, according to new study.

Scientist have known about the existence of the New World dog, but this is the first study linking it to modern breeds, according to <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, which published the findings.

"What we noticed is that there are groups of American dogs that separated somewhat from the European breeds," says study co-author Heidi Parker of the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/">National Institutes of Health</a>. 

The study used gene sequences from 161 modern breeds to assemble an evolutionary tree of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lonely-dogs-anxious-owners-can-help/">dogs</a>. It found new evidence that dogs traveled with humans across the Bering land bridge and are likely related to Central and South American breeds.

"We've been looking for some kind of signature of the New World Dog, and these dogs have New World Dogs hidden in their genome," Parker said. 

It's unclear precisely which genes in modern hairless dogs are from Europe and which are from their New World ancestors, but the researchers hope to explore that in future studies.

The research can help will likely help scientists identify disease-causing genes in both dogs and humans since dogs have many of the same diseases that humans do--including epilepsy, diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer.

 "Using all this data, you can follow the migration of disease alleles and predict where they are likely to pop up next, and that's just so empowering for our field because a dog is such a great model for many human diseases," said the study's senior co-author and dog geneticist Elaine Ostrander, also of the NIH.. "Every time there's a disease gene found in dogs it turns out to be important in people, too."

--

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.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Photo Credit: Penny Inman

Surprising new information about the ancestry of your dog

Dog breeds from Central and South America, such as the...

Humpback whales and boats are colliding more often than researchers previously believed, according to a new study.

Nearly 15 percent of humpbacks in the waters off Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine had injuries consistent with at least one vessel strike, according to the study published in the Journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1748-7692">Marine Mammal Science</a>.

The results likely underestimate vessel collisions, the study said. The strikes could “inhibit the recovery of this protected species,“ it concluded. 

There are currently no regulations or guidelines aimed at reducing the likelihood of collisions between vessels humpback whales, except for vessels actively engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fin-whales-funky-trick/">whale</a> watching, according to the study, which recommends development of a management strategy to reduce the collisions.

"Vessel strikes are a significant risk to both whales and to boaters," said Alex Hill, lead author of the study and scientist with conservation group <a href="http://us.whales.org/">Whale and Dolphin Conservation</a>, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. "Long-term studies can help us figure out if our outreach programs to boaters are effective, what kind of management actions are needed and help to assess the health of the population."

Dave Wiley, a research coordinator for <a href="http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/">Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary</a>, who was not involved in the study, said it was "troublesome" to see the rate of strikes so high.

Scott Kraus, chief scientist for marine mammals at the <a href="http://www.neaq.org/">New England Aquarium</a>, who was also not involved in the study, said the level of ship strikes could be overestimated in the paper because of the way the authors interpret scars and markings on humpback whales. However, Kraus said the findings are still valid.

"There are a lot of whales getting hit by small vessels, and there may very well need to be some management actions around high-density whale areas," he said.

For the study, marine scientists evaluated 210,733 whale photos for five categories of injuries consistent with a vessel strike. In total, 14.7 percent of whales photographed showed injuries consistent with one or more vessel strikes. 

However, the percentage could be higher the study did not include whales killed by vessel strikes, the study 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="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1748-7692">Marine Mammal Science</a>

Whales collide with boats more frequently than expected

Humpback whales and boats are colliding more often than researchers...

In nature, most animal species tend to be less aggressive towards family members – which should make sense, as that is who they are closest to genetically. But the banded mongoose does not play by those rules.

A study from the <a href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> reveals that banded mongooses actually target close relatives when they evict members from their social groups. Specifically, individuals will most often target females that are related to them.

“Targeting close relatives for eviction like this is the opposite of what we would expect social animals to do,” says lead author Dr. Faye Thompson, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the <a href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>.

The researchers believe that the reason for this counter-intuitive behavior is that unrelated mongooses are more likely to fight back. Furthermore, females are targeted over males because the pups of dominant mongooses are less likely to survive if there are a lot of breeding females within the group.

Thompson explains, “…dominant banded mongooses need to evict rival females to reduce competition for their own offspring, their best strategy is to target close relatives.” 

These mass evictions can be extremely violent and often are the cause of injuries and sometimes deaths within the social group. They usually result in multiple females being expelled, with about 50 percent of the cases leading to males getting kicked out as well.

Senior author Professor Rufus Johnstone of the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> believes that this study shows how dominant animals can anticipate the possibility of resistance from another individual, and change their behavior for increased self-preservation. “This appears to have a big effect on the way they treat relatives and non-relatives, and suggests that latent threats might exert an important influence on social behavior more generally,” says Johnstone.

This long-term study finally revealed why certain individuals in mongoose groups are targeted for these expulsions. “Our new study shows that a crucial determinant is whether victims can put up a fight, and predicts that closer kinship sometimes goes hand in hand with more intense aggression,” says Professor Michael Cant of the <a href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>.

It’s always interesting to see evolution lead some <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-one-side-brain/">animals</a> to a behavior that is out of the ordinary and contrary to how most social species interact. We all have problems within our own families, but just be thankful you’re not a mongoose.

--

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.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>

How brutal banded mongoose families turn on each other

In nature, most animal species tend to be less aggressive...

One of the most notable problems facing our environment today is the enormous amount of non-biodegradable plastic that is being dumped into landfills and swirling around our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-waste-dumped-arctic/">oceans</a>. The inability for these plastics to breakdown over time has been an issue at the forefront of environmental research for years. But researchers may have just found a possible solution to this problem – and it comes in the form of a tiny caterpillar.

The caterpillars (commonly known as a wax worms) are usually born in beehives, where their moth parents lay eggs out of evolutionary habit. The worms hatch in the hive and grow on beeswax, which is made up of a diverse mixture of lipid compounds – not unlike many plastics.

It turns out that the stomach strength that allows these worms to eat and digest beeswax also allows them to digest polyethylene plastic – a discovery that Federica Bertocchini of the <a href="http://web.unican.es/en/Research-Transfer/strategic-areas/biomedicina-and-biotechnology">Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria</a> in Spain made when she noticed wax worms creating holes in the plastic bags they were stored in.

“We have found that the larva of a common insect, Galleria mellonella, is able to biodegrade one of the toughest, most resilient, and most used plastics: polyethylene,” announced Bertocchini in a study published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>. 

The researchers found that these wax worms were not only eating the plastic, but they were also chemically transforming the polyethylene to ethylene glycol. Scientists think it is likely that digesting beeswax involves breaking down similar chemical bonds to digesting polyethylene. 

“Wax is a polymer, a sort of ‘natural plastic,’ and has a chemical structure not dissimilar to polyethylene,” explains Bertocchini. More research needs to be done to determine the molecular details of the digestion process, but these scientists believe they have found a biotechnical solution to managing polyethylene waste. 

“We are planning to implement this finding into a viable way to get rid of plastic waste, working towards a solution to save our oceans, rivers, and all the environment from the unavoidable consequences of plastic accumulation,” says Bertocchini. “However, we should not feel justified to dump polyethylene deliberately in our environment just because we now know how to bio-degrade it.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: Cell Press

Image Credit: Federica Bertocchini, Paolo Bombelli, and Chris Howe

How a tiny caterpillar might solve our plastic waste problem

One of the most notable problems facing our environment today...

While DNA may be the star of the biological show, it is proteins (encoded by DNA) that perform all the functions that keep us alive. 

It has been recently discovered that it’s possible to extract proteins from 80-million-year-old dinosaur bones, allowing scientists to get a much deeper look at these prehistoric beasts.

Mary Schweitzer, a professor of biology at <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a>, has used this recent discovery to look into the evolution of proteins in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/missing-link-dinosaur-ancestry/">dinosaur</a> bones. When it comes to understanding function and evolutionary fitness, changes to DNA over time don’t really matter unless the protein changes as well. Schweitzer has found that studying these changes in proteins can uncover a greater wealth of information than studying DNA alone.

“When you think about it, it is the message of DNA – the proteins – that are actually the stuff on which natural selection works,” says Schweitzer. “The sequences of proteins can be used to generate ‘family trees’ of organisms, just like DNA. But modifications to proteins, which are not found in DNA and can’t be reliably predicted from DNA sequence alone, can tell us how a protein functioned, because the function of a protein is determined by its 3-D structure.”

Proteins can also provide information about the age of a sample or about the environment in which an organism lived. Furthermore, some proteins are able to survive for millions of years, while others break down over time. Researchers are intrigued by this dichotomy, and are looking into what contributes to the longevity of certain proteins.

Many scientists – including Schweitzer – have even found that some types of proteins are more likely to remain stable over tens of millions of years than DNA is.

With this recent confirmation of the ability for scientists to extract protein from dinosaur bones, Schweitzer is focused on some new areas in her research. She wants to begin refining methods used to study these proteins so that paleontologists can get the information they need from specimens without damaging them. Schweitzer and her team are also looking for ways to broaden the search for proteins to a variety of dinosaur tissues, specimens, and environments.

Another direction she wants to explore is to find what proteins can tell us about the organism they came from. This could include insight into an animal’s physiology, tissue and protein function, or reproductive behavior. 

Given that dinosaurs lived for a much longer period of time than we have, Schweitzer believes that there is much we can learn from their protein evolution and function. Further research could benefit drug development and even find uses in our search for life on other planets.

--

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://experimentalbiology.org/2017/Home.aspx">Experimental Biology 2017</a>

Dinosaur proteins provide key insights into the past

While DNA may be the star of the biological show,...

The bad news is, dog owners often leave behind lonely dogs to deal with anxiety when they go to work each morning. The good news is, there are a few steps dog owners can take to make their canine companions feel better.

That’s what Alice Potter and Dr. Emily Blackwell, both experts on dogs, told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/">Daily Mail</a> in a recent interview. 

“The separation reaction is displayed soon after the departure of the owner, normally commencing within 30 minutes, and often within the first few minutes,” said Potter, a pet scientist with the <a href="https://www.rspca.org.uk/">RSPCA</a>.

Signs can include scratching or biting at the door the owner left through, defecation, urination, howling, other destructive behavior and other stress activities, she said. 

The stress can hit dogs before their owner even leaves, said Blackwell, who studies human-animal interactions at the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>. They learn their owners’ routines, and can pick up when they’re preparing to leave.

Some dogs eventually accept they’ve been left alone and find distractions. But for especially lonely dogs, anxiety can last for hours or even until their owner returns, Blackwell said.

To find out which type of dog you have, Potter recommends setting up a camera, since most canines hide the extent of their anxiety from their owners. A pacing pooch caught on camera could use a little extra reassurance.

The good news, if you’re feeling guilty, is that there are a few steps owners can take to help reassure their lonely dogs.

First, owners should never punish dogs for going to the bathroom while they’re out and about. That just makes their separation anxiety worse, Potter told the Mail. 

Second, people should take their dogs out for exercise and make sure they’ve had enough to eat before leaving. Dogs who have a chance to run off extra energy and a full belly are more likely to be relaxed.

Dogs with severe separation anxiety can be taught to treat their beds as a comfort area, Blackwell said. First, owners should encourage their dogs to go to their bed and stay there while they’re in the same room and nearby. Reward dogs with a treat for staying.

Then, gradually move away from the bed, starting with short distances and times, and extending to longer periods and even leaving the room. Reward the dog whenever they stay quietly in the bed, and reassure them that you will return. 

This gets your pup used to the idea of being alone now and then.

The <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/">Humane Society of the United States</a> offers a few other tips:
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t treat departures or arrivals like a big deal</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Use a specific word or action every time you leave that signals to your dog that you’ll be back</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Leave out a piece of clothing that smells like you</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Have special toys that will provide distraction when you leave</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">In severe cases, try a calming product suggested by your veterinarian</li>
</ul>
Crate training, leaving the TV on or getting another pooch doesn’t usually help lonely dogs, the Humane Society said.

If nothing works, it might be time to try doggie daycare or to find out if your workplace allows pets on the premises.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lonely dogs are more anxious, but their owners can help

The bad news is, dog owners often leave behind lonely...

Procreation is a rather private matter, whether you’re a human, dolphin, or any other non-exhibitionist organism. This can make it tough for researchers to study how copulation works with certain species, especially those that live in aquatic environments. However, a recent study shows how researchers used inventive new techniques to figure out the internal dynamics of dolphin sex.

Marine mammals are a group of species that are known to have unusually shaped genitalia – although they would probably tell you that we’re the weird ones. Dara Orbach, a postdoctoral fellow at <a href="https://www.dal.ca/">Dalhousie University</a> and research associate at <a href="https://www.mtholyoke.edu/">Mount Holyoke College</a>, explains, “Whales, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/late-bloomer-dolphins-risk/">dolphins</a> and porpoises have unusual vaginal folds, spirals and recesses that the penis and sperm must navigate through to successfully fertilize the egg.”

The researchers went into the study knowing that the biomechanics and intricacies of the anatomical fit of marine mammal genitalia have bamboozled scientists for years. 

After gathering reproductive tracts from deceased dolphins, porpoises, and seals, Orbach and her team were able to inflate the penises to full erection and stimulate pseudo-copulation with vaginal tissues – a process that was likely accompanied by a fair amount of giggling. They then used computed tomography scans to determine how deeply the penis penetrated the vagina and which parts of the anatomy were in contact.

The research team also created silicone models of the interior of the dolphin vagina, which helped them determine how its shape might have coevolved with the shape of the male penis. “Most previous research on genitalia has focused on the penis,” says Orbach. Through studying both genitalia types together, the scientists could better envision how they interact during copulation. 

Marine mammal copulation presents a unique challenge, as the participants must mate while swimming in a 3D space and do so without seawater entering the female’s uterus. 

By analyzing this anatomy and studying how it can translate to successful copulation in the wild, Orbach and her colleagues are making important steps that could help advance captive breeding programs. “For example, we demonstrate that particular anatomical landmarks are in contact during copulation and suggest that physical stimulation of these landmarks during artificial insemination may improve the probability of conception,” explains Orbach. “Our research can also help predict which natural copulations will lead to fertilization, as males must sexually approach females at specific angles to optimize their genital alignment and penetration."

While this research may invoke some juvenile laughter and embarrassed blushing, we can all be thankful that these scientists were willing to do the dirty work.

--

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://experimentalbiology.org/2017/Home.aspx">Experimental Biology 2017</a>

Dolphins doin’ it: the science of dolphin sex

Procreation is a rather private matter, whether you’re a human,...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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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...