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...

The annual migration cycle of bird species that breed in the Arctic and winter in South America can be notoriously difficult to study. However, scientists have made a concerted effort to take on this challenge, as they’ve seen a mysterious population decline occurring with the Semipalmated Sandpiper.

A new study published in <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond?code=coop-site">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a> takes a closer look at the annual migration cycle of one of the most widespread and numerous shore bird species in the Western Hemisphere.

A group of 18 partner organizations helped to deploy 250 light-sensitive geolocators attached to individual birds. These tiny devices use light levels to determine a bird’s location, which provided important data on the migration patterns of this sandpiper.

Stephen Brown, the Vice President of Shorebird Conservation for <a href="https://www.manomet.org/">Manomet</a>, headed this effort to get a closer look at Semipalmated Sandpiper migration patterns, and possibly figure out why their population is in decline. Brown explains, "This study was a response to the discovery of a large decline in the population of Semipalmated Sandpipers in the core of their wintering area in South America, and the need to determine which birds were involved. We didn't know if the decline affected the entire population or just part of it.”

After one year of data gathering, 59 birds were recaptured and the data from their geolocators was downloaded.

Researchers found that eastern and western breeding populations actually use separate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-migration-animal-movement/">migration</a> routes and wintering areas. More importantly, the data showed that birds that breed specifically in the eastern Arctic tend to migrate to areas in South America where these large population declines have been observed.

The researchers believe that the sandpiper’s population decline is related to hunting on the wintering grounds and habitat alteration at migration stopover sites. However, the impact of these variables is not yet known.

Ryan Norris, an expert on migration tracking at the <a href="http://www.uoguelph.ca/">University of Guelph</a>, believes this study was imperative to furthering our knowledge of these birds and our changing environment: "Multi-site, range-wide studies on connectivity, such as this, are critical if we are to understand the population consequences of environmental change in migratory birds."

--

By Connor Ertz, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/content/american-ornithological-society">American Ornithological Society</a>

Photo Credit: B. Winn

New study investigates mysterious bird population declines

The annual migration cycle of bird species that breed in...

Climate scientists and environmentalists have long studied and relayed the many evils of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lake-predict-climate-change/">climate change</a>. But here’s a story about one way in which the changing climate is actually enhancing one part of the environment.

Scientists from the <a href="http://www.sdu.dk/en/">University of Southern Denmark</a> have found that the melt-off of Arctic snow and ice has formed melt ponds that serve as birthplaces for new and valuable organisms.

“The melt ponds can form their own little ecosystem,” said study lead author Heidi Louise Sorensen.

The organisms under study are algae and bacteria that have evolved in the ponds to form a valuable food source to krill and copepods. Those animals in turn feed whales, fish and seals.

Previous studies have shown the capability of these simple life forms to evolve in melt ponds, but it’s never been clearly understood why this effect sometimes takes place and at other times doesn’t. The Danish researchers found answers attributable to climate change in a number of ways.

For instance, nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen spur the development of these simple organisms. They’re driven to the water by such events as dust storms, sea waves, rainfall and the presence of migratory birds, all of which are triggered by climate change.

“Climate change is accompanied by more storms and more precipitation, and we must expect that more nutrients will be released from the surroundings into the melt ponds,” said study participant Ronnie Guld. “These conditions, plus the fact that the distribution of areas of melt ponds is increasing, can contribute to increased productivity in plant and animal life in the Arctic seas.”

In addition, the melting ice allows more nutrients to flow and more sunlight to penetrate deeper into the waters, further spurring algae and bacterial growth.

The study was published in Polar Biology.

--

Written by <a href="mailto:dsearls@earth.com">David Searls</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-017-2082-7"> Polar Biology</a>,<a href="http://www.sdu.dk/en/om_sdu/fakulteterne/naturvidenskab/aktuelt/2017_03_23_meltponds"> University of Southern Denmark</a>

Could a rich Arctic food supply be a climate change silver lining?

Climate scientists and environmentalists have long studied and relayed the...

The Paisley Five Mile Point Caves in southern Oregon are where some of the most ancient preserved evidence of human activity in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/north-american-ice-sheet/">North America</a> can be found. But guess what else was just found there? The remains of a not-so-distance cousin of the common bed bug.

In a study published in the Entomological Society of America’s<a href="http://www.bioone.org/loi/ment"> Journal of Medical Entomology</a>, archaeologists reveal their discovery of the oldest specimens of insects from the genus Cimex ever found. These specimens range between 5,100 and 11,000 years old – and yes, luckily they were dead.

The researchers, Martin Adams of <a href="https://www.paleoinsect.com/services">Paleoinsect Research</a> and Dennis Jenkins of the <a href="https://uoregon.edu/">University of Oregon</a>, identified these remains as relatives of the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). However, Adams clarifies that this is “not the bed bug we all know and love from hotel rooms.” Rather, the species found in these caves were all parasites of bats.

Only two bed bug species actually parasitize humans – Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus. It is believed that they adapted to human hosts thousands of years ago when we shared caves with bats in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Adams says it is unclear why the species found in Oregon never transitioned to parasitizing humans (lucky for our friends in the past).

Adams mulls over the reasons why this may have been the case, wondering “Were the cimicid populations too small to establish themselves outside the caves, or were the host populations too small?... did the humans move around too much, or were the bugs not able to withstand the environment outside the caves for very long? Or, were there other constraints involved?”

Some of the oldest remains of this species studied by Adams and Jenkins predate the original oldest “cimicid” remains by about 7,500 years. For the researchers, this raises some interesting questions about how cimicids may have interacted – if they did at all – with humans in the past.

These findings may also give some insight into climatic trends during the eras they were prevalent. One of the three species they found, Cimex antennatus, tends to favor the warmer climates of California and Nevada. Adams explains, “The presence of warm-tolerant cimicids in the caves… may suggest that climatic conditions at Paisley Caves 5,100 years ago were similar to what Cimex antennatus enjoys today in its current range.”

Although the presence of bed bugs in our lives generally offers nothing but discomfort and disgust, these specimens found in Oregon may help provide a look into our past that can inform archaeologists and researchers everywhere.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.entsoc.org/">Entomological Society of America</a>

Ancient remains of a close cousin of the bed bug found in Oregon

The Paisley Five Mile Point Caves in southern Oregon are...

A hobby cave diver may have discovered the very first European cave fish, researchers report in <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>. 

The diver first spotted the fish –a loach in the genus Barbatula – in an underwater cave system in South Germany. Jasminca Behrmann-Godel of Germany’s <a href="https://www.uni-konstanz.de/en/">University of Kostanz</a> notes, “The cave fish was found surprisingly far in the north in Southern Germany. This is spectacular as it was believed before that the Pleistocene glaciations had prevented fish from colonizing subterranean habitats so far north.”

Even more surprising, researchers believe that this cave loach species came to be very recently – within the last 20,000 years. They determined this through genetic studies of the fish paired with knowledge of the geological history of the region in which it was discovered. Arne Nolte from the <a href="https://www.uni-oldenburg.de/en/">University of Oldenburg</a> explains, “It was only when the glaciers retreated that [this area] first became a suitable habitat for fish.”

Although this species has had very little time to adapt to cave life, scientists have found that it is already exhibiting adaptions characteristic of cave fish. This includes much smaller eyes, loss of color, larger nostrils, and elongated whisker-like barbels on their heads.

The cave diver – Joachim Kreiselmaier – first observed the loaches in August of 2015 while he was exploring the deepest parts of the Danube-Aach cave system. He took some photos and showed them to hobby geologist and co-author Roland Berka, who contacted Behrmann-Godel.

Berhmann-Godel realized their good fortune, saying, “It took someone with the ‘right eye’ to realize that this might be something special and I believe that, on top of the right conditions and the difficult trip, this discovery depended on an exceptional diver like Joachim to realize in the first place that the fish might be special.”

It took a special diver to even reach the place where Kreiselmaier first saw these fish, as he estimates that “no more than 30 divers have ever reached the place where the fish have been found.” 

Cave diving is notoriously dangerous – as are most activities when you combine complete darkness with high pressure, low visibility, and a finite supply of oxygen. This particular cave system was even more treacherous, as it is known for its strong current and bad visibility.

However, Kreiselmaier was determined to help the research effort. In November of 2015, he completed another dive of the same cave system. During this dive, he succeeded in catching a live specimen, allowing the researchers to study its features up close. The next year, Kreiselmaier caught four more fish. This allowed the scientists to study the loach’s form and genetics even further.

With the ability to compare these cave fish to surface fish caught near the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cavefish-human-sleep-disorders/">cave</a>, the researchers report that the cave loaches are indeed an isolated population, and thus the first known European cave fish.

These findings also show that adaptation to subterranean habitats can occur much quicker than previously thought. The researchers will continue to study these cave loaches in more detail and would ultimately like to use these findings to explore the first steps toward life in caves.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Image: Jasminca Behrmann-Godel

The first European cave fish has been discovered

A hobby cave diver may have discovered the very first...

A frightful lizard doesn’t sound like much of a pet, so it’s good to know that this long piece of menace from the Tyrannosaurus family – the Daspletosaurus horneri – last slithered through present-day Montana some 74 million years ago. Daspletosaurus horneri is Latin for a critter more colorfully known as “Horner’s Frightful Lizard,” and it was the last of the big reptiles in the American West. (We’re not making this stuff up.)

Researchers led by the biology department at <a href="https://www.carthage.edu/">Carthage College</a> in Wisconsin studied fossils of the beast before naming it. They found that it had evolved through anagenesis, an unusual and rather uncommon evolutionary track. Anagenesis involves the morphing of one species into another over evolutionary time. This is in contrast to cladogenesis, the more common form of species evolutionary development. Through cladogenesis, a species undergoes evolutionary divergence, in which it splits into two or more descendants over a period of perhaps millions of years.

Although the fossils studied by the research team had already been found and preserved, Daspletosaurus had previously been seen as just a transitional phase of development between Daspletosaurus torosus and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-species-similarities-humans/">Tyrannosaurus rex</a>, and hadn’t even been named in its own right.

Now for the good stuff: this beast of a Tyro lizard measured nearly 30 feet in length, it had tiny horns and a sensitive snout that looked like that of a crocodile. By sensitive, what’s meant is that the critter had a sensitive nerve in the nose that it used for interacting with its environment and for, um, dating purposes.

As the researchers wrote, “In courtship, tyrannosaurids might have rubbed their sensitive faces together as a vital part of pre-copulatory play.”

Which is something you might not want to spend a lot of time thinking about.

The paper was published in Scientific Reports.

-- 

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Image Credit: Dino Pulerà

Source:<a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep44942"> Scientific Reports</a>

Frightful lizard of 74 million years ago was great in bed

A frightful lizard doesn’t sound like much of a pet,...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reef-fishs-venom-painkilling/">Fish</a> need friends too, you know. Or it’s at least true that zebrafish seek the support of their shoal – or community of zebrafish – in times of stress. That’s the conclusion reached by researchers at ISPA – the <a href="http://www.cies.org/institution/ipsa-university-institute-psychology-social-and-life-sciences-portugal-lisbon">University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences </a>in Portugal – in studying the importance of the animals’ social supports when responding to adversity.

Researchers have known for some time that mammals seek and find emotional support among their kind. In humans, social buffering helps overcome depression and other emotional and physical illnesses. Since the response in zebrafish occurs in similar brain regions as our own, the team’s findings might be used to help us better understand social support systems as a tool for overcoming emotional adversity.

The zebrafish were tested through olfactory and visual cues. For the olfactory cues, lone zebrafish were placed in water used by its shoal, so it had a familiar odor. For visual cues, the fish was always in visual contact with the rest of the shoal. Then the fish were exposed to alarms, and their response was measured through freezing activity that occurs when stressed.

The researchers found there to be less apparent fear when in shoal water, but the most calming response came when the zebrafish kept its shoal in sight. The results were regardless of the size of the shoal “and coincided with a distinct pattern of co-activation of brain regions known to be involved in mammalian social buffering,” wrote first study author Ana Faustino. “Thus, this study suggests a shared evolutionary origin for social buffering in vertebrates, bringing new evidence on the behavioural, sensory and neural mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.”

The researchers concluded, in part, “Although zebrafish´s social support does not have the complexity of the social support verified in humans, research in zebrafish will allow us to explore in depth the neural mechanisms involved in this social behavior, which is paramount to the well-being and mental health of the human species, particularly due to its relevance to certain psychological diseases such as depression.”

The study was published in Scientific Reports.

--

Written by David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep44329"> Scientific Reports</a>

Zebrafish seek social support when stressed, study shows

Fish need friends too, you know. Or it’s at least...

Glassfrog <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/female-lamprey-fish-mate/">eggs</a> are almost always laid on the tops of leaves overhanging streams – leaving them in peril of being an easy snack for snakes, insects, and other predators, until they hatch and fall into a stream to develop as tadpoles.

It was believed that in just a few species, the fathers would care for the developing embryos during this stage. But biologists thought that most glassfrog species left their eggs alone as they developed.

That was until Jesse Delia, a PhD student in Karen Warkentin’s lab at <a href="http://www.bu.edu/">Boston University</a>, was walking by a stream in Panama very late one night. Along the stream, Delia noticed something unique: a glassfrog mother sitting on her clutch of eggs.

Delia teamed up with research partner Laura Bravo Valencia, a graduate student at <a href="https://www.uniandes.edu.co/">Universidad de los Andes</a> in Bogotá, Colombia. They would both go on to observe the parental behavior of more than 40 species of glassfrogs over an 18-month period.

During this time, they noticed that many species of glassfrog mothers brood their eggs the night the eggs are fertilized – which was found to ultimately improve the survival of these eggs. Furthermore, almost a third of glassfrog species’ fathers guard the eggs for much longer periods.

Overall, the researchers found parental care in every glassfrog species they studied. Their findings came after “a tour de force of extreme fieldwork,” according to Warkentin. This “tour de force” involved observation through six rain seasons at 22 sites along streams in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, and Peru.

“In Colombia, we would take buses (La Chiva) into the mountains and try to find somebody who would put us up, somewhere close to a forest, a couple hours’ hike into the stream,” explains Delia. But that was just the first leg of their journey, as “streams in the Andes are really steep, with impassable waterfalls every so often, and in many sites they are cascades of freezing cold water.”

Nevertheless, the two scientists braved the conditions and began their study by removing glassfrog mothers immediately after their eggs were fertilized. They then monitored the eggs daily until they hatched – a time period of about 20 days. In the end, it was found that the eggs that received maternal care survived significantly better than those that did not.

They discovered that the key to this difference was that the mother frogs were soaking up water from damp spots on leaves and delivering this water to their eggs. The added water would cause the jelly layer around the eggs to swell up and become about four times thicker. When insect predators would attempt to eat these eggs, they would eventually become frustrated by the amount of gelatinous goo surrounding the embryo, and would often give up.

Delia and Bravo Valencia also tested the amount of disturbance it would take to make a glassfrog mother leave her eggs during the time following fertilization. Warktentin explained, “They would gently poke and pinch and then physically push her off the eggs, and it would take all that to get most moms to leave.” Not only are these mothers present, but they’re determined as well.

Ultimately, the study showed that the maternal care of glassfrog embryos helps them survive. Surprisingly, it also found that fathers would provide the most care, even after the eggs started hatching. This maternal vs. paternal relationship is relatively uncommon in the animal kingdom, and was of great interest to the research team.

Delia elaborates: “…the way we had underestimated the diversity of parental behavior stresses the importance of getting out to the field and watching animals behave.”

More information on this study can be found in the<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1420-9101"> Journal of Evolutionary Biology</a>.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.bu.edu/">Boston University</a>

Glassfrog parental strategies emphasize the value of teamwork

Glassfrog eggs are almost always laid on the tops of...

Pharmaceutical companies are constantly on the lookout for the next big drug, especially in the often lucrative and sometimes unseemly business of painkiller. However, they might soon be turning their attention from the lab bench to the ocean, as the venom of a common <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dead-zones-coral-reefs/">reef</a> fish has been discovered to have pain-killing properties.

Research performed by <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> associate professor Bryan Fry found that a species of coral reef fish disables its opponents and prey with venom similar in mechanism to heroin. He believes that this discovery could lead to the development of new painkillers.

The venomous poison-fang blenny – a name that gets less intimidating as it goes – inhabits the Pacific region, including the Great Barrier Reef. According to Fry, it “injects other fish with opioid peptides that act like heroin or morphine, inhibiting pain rather than causing it.” The venom is chemically unique to this species of fish. 

Fry goes on to compare the effect this venom would have on a human, saying, “to put that into human terms, opioid peptides would be the last thing an elite Olympic swimmer would use as performance-enhancing substance. They would be more likely to drown than win gold.” It’s hard to tell, but this may be a veiled threat to Michael Phelps by a jealous Australian swim supporter hoping Phelps stays retired for the 2020 Olympics. Regardless, it’s impressive that the venom from this little fish can pack such a knockout punch.

Fang blennies are quite popular as ornamental tropical aquarium fish, and according to Fry they “are the most interesting fish I’ve ever studied and have one of the most intriguing venoms of them all.” Given more intensive research, it’s possible that venom from this tiny fish could be the next big drug on the painkiller market.

Besides being a potentially beneficial drug, the discovery of this venom’s properties also supports the need for us to conserve our oceans and reefs, as Fry explains: “This study is an excellent example of why we need to protect nature. If we lose the Great Barrier Reef, we will lose animals like the fang blenny and its unique venom that could be the source of the next blockbuster pain-killing drug.”

You never can tell what you’ll find in a place as vast as the ocean. But if we continue to lose ocean ecosystems to pollution and climate change, we’ll truly never know what might have been discovered.

--

By Connor Ertz, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a>

Reef fish’s heroin-like venom could be the next painkilling drug

Pharmaceutical companies are constantly on the lookout for the next...

With the disturbing decline of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honeybees-threatened-by-disease/">honeybee</a> population over the past few years, orchard growers are now looking for viable alternatives in order to manage the pollination of their trees and plants. Luckily, recent research has shown that blue orchard bees (Osmia lignaria) may be a sustainable option in tart cherry orchards. 

Natalie Boyle, an entomologist at the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>, suggests that a simple change in the layout of the bees’ nesting boxes could make blue orchard bees more likely to remain in the orchard to nest. 

While the honeybee is a social bee species that gathers in colonies, the blue orchard bee is more solitary and nests in the cavities of wood, stems, or even artificial materials like cardboard tubes. This difference in preferred nesting requires that growers make the necessary changes to nesting sites if they want blue orchard bees to take up residence in their orchards.

Boyle laments that management practices for commercial pollination with the blue orchard bee haven’t been as well researched as those of the honeybee. She is looking to change that, saying “This study shows that by simply changing the availability and distribution of nesting sites in the orchard, we can substantially increase overall blue orchard bee nesting success in a commercially managed orchard.”

In order for blue orchard bees to become a cost-effective managed pollinator, they must be willing to remain in the orchard after they are released – which has been an issue in the past.

By changing the nesting arrangement from a large central nesting location with small perimeter nests to small nesting boxes spread evenly throughout the orchard, Boyle found that the blue orchard bees were much more willing to stay and procreate. 

While both setups showed a successful return of bees to the nesting sites, the nesting rates were significantly higher in the uniform nest-box distribution model. Occupancy of nest-tubes increased along with the number of live larvae per location and larvae per individual nest tube.

Although the study did not evaluate the blue orchard bees’ impact on pollination and orchard yield, the researchers are planning a follow-up experiment in 2017. 

In the meantime, Boyle states, "We hope that this study provides practical information that orchardists can use to incorporate blue orchard bee pollination into their current management efforts, particularly with varieties that have been historically fruit set-limited when honey bees are used alone."

More information can be found in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience">Entomological Society of America’s Journal of Insect Science</a>.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.entsoc.org/">Entomological Society of America</a>

Image: <a href="https://www.ars.usda.gov/images/docs/18333_18528/Osligapple.jpg">USDA</a>

Could blue orchard bees replace honeybees for pollination?

With the disturbing decline of the honeybee population over the...

A new study – published online in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Nature Research’s Scientific Reports</a> – details the discovery of a newly discovered tyrannosaur species that went through a unique evolution.

The research team, led by Thomas Carr, of <a href="https://www.carthage.edu/bridge/">Carthage College’s</a> Department of Biology, included David Varricchio of <a href="http://www.montana.edu/">Montana State University</a>, Eric Roberts of <a href="https://www.jcu.edu.au/">James Cook University</a>, Jason Moore of the University of New Mexico, and Jayc Sedlmayr of <a href="http://www.lsuhsc.edu/">LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine</a>. 

Their findings include that Daspletosaurus horneri – also known as “Horner’s Frightful Lizard” – evolved directly from its geologically older relative, D. torosus. This is evidence of a rare form of evolution called anagenesis, in which one species gradually morphs into an entirely new, separate species.

D.horneri is believed to have lived in Montana 75.2-74.4 million years ago. It had a body length of about 9 meters and preyed on horned dinosaurs, crested duckbill dinosaurs, dome-headed dinosaurs, and smaller theropod dinosaurs.

The team also uncovered new details on the facial structure of tyrannosaurs, a group that includes the Tyrannosaurus rex and its closest relatives – and you thought your in-laws were bad… okay moving on.

Their research found that the faces of tyrannosaurs were covered by large, flat scales, with small patches of armor-like skin and a horn. They found no evidence of lips, but discovered that the snout may have been extremely touch-sensitive.

By working with well-preserved fossils, the scientists were able to compare tyrannosaur skulls with those of crocodilians, birds, and mammals. They then analyzed their findings against earlier research that matched bone texture with varying types of skin covering.

Sedlymayr describes their research process further, saying, “Much of our research went beyond field paleontology - it was generated from lab-based comparative anatomy, the dissection of birds as living dinosaurs and crocodilians as their closest living relatives.”

The scientists discovered a complex sensory web within the facial structure of these tyrannosaurs. They believe it is derived from the trigeminal nerve, which is shown throughout evolutionary history to be connected to an array of “sixth senses” in vertebrates. These senses include the use of magnetic fields for bird migration, infrared sensing in pit vipers, and the sensing of water vibrations by alligators, among many others.

"In some ways, the facial components of the trigeminal nerve of these dinosaurs mirrors that of humans," said Sedlmayr. In humans, this nerve allows for significant touch sensitivity within our faces. Through this, we can have complex emotional and social facial displays that are imperative for human communication.

Based off this new research, maybe humans and dinosaurs aren’t so different after all.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.lsuhsc.edu/">Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center</a>

Newly discovered dinosaur species shows similarities to humans

A new study – published online in Nature Research’s Scientific...

No one likes to think of that mouse creeping through their kitchen in the middle of the night as being “domesticated,” but that’s how scientists think of the situation. It’s technically true, since house mice turn up in the abodes of humans virtually wherever they settle for long. And now new research indicates that the rodents have been helping themselves to our food and shelter for at least 15,000 years. That’s about 3,000 years longer than it was assumed that mice started sharing our residences – when agriculture got humans to settle down – and possibly even longer than <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-sniffing-cancer-cells/">dogs</a> have lived with us.

That’s among the findings of a group of researchers from Israel, the U.S., the UK and France, as reported this week in <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

“The research provides the first evidence that, as early as 15,000 years ago, humans were living in one place long enough to impact local animal communities – resulting in the dominant presence of house mice,” said co-author Fiona Marshall, a professor of anthropology at <a href="https://wustl.edu/">Washington University in St. Louis</a>.

It was previously thought that house mice didn’t “settle” with humans until farming communities were established about 12,000 years ago. The early hunter-gatherer cultures preceding agriculture were supposed to be too mobile to attract mice.

However, the group studied by the researchers were hunter-gatherers known as Natufians who established a village in the Jordan Valley in Israel about 15,000 years ago. A study of fossilized rodent molars from this time showed the fossilized remains mostly of house mice, as they learned by studying the molar shape.

Later, when the climate and region became cold and dry, it forced the Natufians to follow quickly depleted resources like traditional hunter-gatherers. In this time, the fossil balance shifted between the house mice and their short-tailed cousin field mice, who are wilder and less tolerant of humans. The field mice populations dominated.

Dogs are thought to have joined us some 14,000 years ago, though there’s some debate as to whether our co-existence goes even farther back.

--

Written by David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/03/21/1619137114.abstract"> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>

We've 'domesticated' the house mouse for 15,000 years

No one likes to think of that mouse creeping through...

Like many vertebrates – excluding humans – a bird’s eyes are located on the sides of its head. This anatomical specificity is believed to have several functions, including increased depth perception and greater visual coverage. However, not much has been known about the purpose of the blind spot in front of a bird’s head… until now.

Researchers Luke Tyrrell and Esteban Fernández-Juricic from <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University</a> published a study on Wednesday in the open-access journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>. In this study, they found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-dehydration-climate-change/">birds</a> with longer beaks had a larger blind spot in front of their heads, which correlates to a narrower field of binocular vision.

Binocular vision refers to vision that uses two eyes with overlapping fields of view, which allows for good depth perception. This is useful for a creature that might need to snatch an insect out of the air or land on a tiny branch without impaling itself.

In making this discovery, the researchers went through published data on the visual fields of 40 species of birds, and measured the beaks and skulls of museum specimens. Their findings suggest that the size of the blind area and the visibility of the beak play an important role in a bird’s vision. 

Furthermore, Tyrrell believes, “The evolution of binocular vision in birds appears to be driven, in part, by a blind area in front of the head.” This finding will help scientists better understand how individual species of birds use sight to their advantage, and how they progressed evolutionarily. 

--

By Connor Ertz, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>

A bird’s blind spot may be directly related to beak size

Like many vertebrates – excluding humans – a bird’s eyes...

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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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" 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.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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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...