When you think of gaming and Virtual Reality worlds, you probably picture people with VR headsets dodging virtual bullets or exploring fantastical landscapes, not animals hooked to electrodes.



But now, this technology is being used for something completely different -- studying the behavior of small creatures, like hoverflies and crabs, when they're exposed to "fake" or "augmented" worlds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dynamics-of-flight">Dynamics of flight</h2>



This novel approach emerged from a desire to comprehend the aerodynamics of flying insects, along with other enigmatic animal behaviors.



A study led by Flinders University introduces us to a whole new way of observing how invertebrates react to, communicate with, and traverse through the virtual "worlds" that today's avant-garde entertainment technology can create.



This exploration could provide <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-tool-superanimal-can-accurately-analyze-animal-behavior/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">invaluable insights</a> that offer a push forward in the realm of new technologies, like aviation and precision devices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-developing-virtual-reality-tech-for-animals">Developing virtual reality tech for animals</h2>



The development of this unique software was a collaborative effort by several experts at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flinders University</a> in Western Australia, in collaboration with researchers from Germany.



Among the key contributors are Professor Karin Nordström, who leads the Hoverfly Motion Vision Lab, and her co-researchers including Dr. Yuri Ogawa, Dr. Richard Leibbrandt, and Raymond Aoukar.



Their combined expertise and dedication have made it possible to open up this specially designed software platform to researchers worldwide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-observing-animals-in-a-virtual-world">Observing animals in a virtual world</h2>



Dr. Ogawa, a research fellow in Neuroscience at the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, explained how their team developed computer programs to create an immersive VR experience for the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-and-possibly-even-insects-have-emotions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">creatures</a>.



"Using machine learning and computer vision algorithms, we could observe the animals and decode their actions, from a hoverfly attempting to make a left turn during flight to a fiddler crab dodging a virtual bird," said Dr. Ogawa.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/virtual-reality_CAVE-system_animal-testing_illustration_Flinders-U_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/virtual-reality_CAVE-system_animal-testing_illustration_Flinders-U_1s.webp" alt="Trackball set-up. The crabs were placed on an air cushioned treadmill. Stimuli consisted of a virtual crab below the horizon (dark grey) and virtual bird above the horizon (pale grey) which were presented on either of the four adjacent stimulus monitors surrounding the treadmill. The experimental crab was held in place by a rod attached to its carapace that allowed it to slide up and down and rotate freely around the center of the ball, but not move away. Credit: Flinders University" class="wp-image-1951730"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Trackball set-up. The crabs were placed on an air cushioned treadmill. Stimuli consisted of a virtual crab below the horizon (dark grey) and virtual bird above the horizon (pale grey) which were presented on either of the four adjacent stimulus monitors surrounding the treadmill. The experimental crab was held in place by a rod attached to its carapace that allowed it to slide up and down and rotate freely around the center of the ball, but not move away. Credit: Flinders University</figcaption></figure>



But that's not all - the software also modifies the digital landscape to sync with the animals' movements. 



The machine learning technologies used in this experiment are already disrupting various industries, from agriculture to medicine, architecture, and transportation, as noted by Dr. Leibbrandt.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-playground-for-invertebrates">New playground for invertebrates</h2>



The emergence of virtual reality for invertebrates has started unveiling novel methods for studying animal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-is-contagious-and-this-applies-to-animals-too/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">behaviors</a> more intimately than ever before.



Raymond Aoukar, a computer science graduate from Flinders University, emphasized the significance of this project.



"The past two decades have witnessed rapid progress in gaming, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and high-speed computation using specific computer hardware in graphics cards," said Aoukar.



"Today, these technologies are mature and accessible enough to operate on consumer computer devices. This accessibility offers the opportunity to look at animal behavior in an environment that's systematically controlled but more natural than a typical lab experiment."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bridging-gaps-between-disciplines">Bridging gaps between disciplines</h2>



The intersection of technology and biology in studying animal behavior is an exemplary case of interdisciplinary collaboration. 



By bringing together expertise from areas such as computer science, neuroscience, and biology, researchers can leverage technological advancements to deepen our understanding of biological processes. 



This collaboration fosters innovation and ensures a more comprehensive approach to problem-solving.



The project's success highlights the importance of bridging gaps between distinct fields, leading to brand new insights and applications that have far-reaching implications beyond the immediate study of invertebrate behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-virtual-reality-for-future-animal-research">Virtual reality for future animal research</h2>



The implications of utilizing virtual reality to study animal behavior are vast and promising. 



This state-of-the-art approach promises to shift paradigms in ecological and biological research by enabling scientists to simulate complex environments and observe real-time interactions in a controlled manner.



Future research could expand the application of these technologies to more animal species, potentially revolutionizing how we study and interact with wildlife. 



Moreover, this innovative intersection has the potential to influence other technological advancements, setting a precedent for future endeavors that merge the realms of technology with nature to solve intricate mysteries of the natural world. 



Such advancements are poised to contribute to more sustainable technological and ecological systems, thus enhancing our understanding and preservation of biodiversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-virtual-reality-to-identify-animal-behavior">Virtual reality to identify animal behavior</h2>



Apart from simply observing and quantifying behavior through virtual reality, the new approach allows the identification of visual triggers for certain behaviors in animals.



Other research groups have already started showing interest in using this revolutionary platform. The researchers look forward to employing VR to dig deeper into the decision-making processes of insects.



To simplify experimental design and data storage, the team developed a user-friendly Unity Editor interface that doesn't require coding. 



The CAVE, an open-source project from the <a href="https://hoverflyvision.weebly.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hoverfly Motion Vision Lab</a>, streamlines the process of setting up a Tethered Flight Arena.



This new virtual playground for insects and other small creatures may have started as a fun experiment, but its implications and potentials are nothing short of fascinating. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.14449" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Methods in Ecology and Evolution</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Animals were wired and placed in Virtual Reality worlds just to see what would happen

When you think of gaming and Virtual Reality worlds, you probably picture people with VR headsets dodging virtual bullets or exploring fantastical landscapes, not animals hooked to electrodes. But now, this technology is being used for something completely different -- studying the behavior of small creatures, like hoverflies and crabs, when they're exposed to "fake" or "augmented" worlds. Dynamics of flight This novel approach emerged from a desire to comprehend the aerodynamics of flying insects, along with other enigmatic animal behaviors. A study led by Flinders University...

Social hierarchy within many species of the animal kingdom is an important part of their community structure. How this hierarchy gets determined is reliant on a number of physiological and biological factors. In a new study, researchers have discovered a neural circuit in the brains of mice that could play a significant role in social dominance. 

The region of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-overcomes-fear-picks-course-action/">brain</a> this was found in is the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), which has previously been implicated in the long-term regulation of social dominance.

Researcher Tingting Zhou and colleagues placed mice test subjects in a standard social dominance test in which male mice were put into a tube facing each other. The scientists then observed how the mice engaged in certain behaviors such as push initiation, push-back, resistance, retreat, and stillness.

They monitored individual neurons in the dmPFC during this test, which revealed that there was a particular region that became more active during dominance behaviors like push and resistance. Researchers then inhibited these dominance neurons and ran the same tests. Under the influence of this drug inhibition, mice with established social rank exhibited significantly less dominant behavior and more retreating behavior.

For the next step, researchers used optogenetics to stimulate the dmPFC during the test. Under these conditions, mice ended up winning dominance battles against previously dominant opponents with a 90% success rate. The motor performance and anxiety level of the mice remained unaffected.

These effects had long-lasting consequences, as mice that had more than six “photostimulated wins” actually maintained their new rank the next day. Mice with less than five photosimulated wins ended up falling back to their original rank.

This study helps shed light on dominance and social behaviors that – while only seen in mice so far – may have parallels to human behavior as well.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>

This part of the brain determines social dominance, alpha males

Social hierarchy within many species of the animal kingdom is...

Seaside sparrows usually live in tidal marshes and build their nests just above normal high tide where they can stay hidden from predators in the vegetation. Rising sea levels may put these birds in a predicament, as unusually high tides will destroy their nests. However, moving their nests up makes them more vulnerable to predators. A new study  from <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a> reveals that despite the increasing risk of flooding, the nests of these saltmarsh birds face much more of a threat from predation.

Elizabeth Hunter of the <a href="http://www.uga.edu">University of Georgia</a> developed a model to simulate the nesting behavior and success rates of seaside sparrows on the coast of Georgia. Her model revealed that predation poses a much greater threat to the survival of seaside sparrows.  

The study established that flooding risk did not influence predation rates, but predation risk did impact flooding risk - due to the fact the sparrows move their nests lower for safety. Despite this increased risk of flooding paired with a projected spike in sea levels, predation risk remains almost seven times more menacing to seaside sparrows than flooding.

"Nest predation rates are so high right now that even under extreme sea level rise conditions, more nests are likely to be eaten than flooded," explained Hunter. "However, predation and flooding threats act synergistically, meaning that any estimates of the negative effects of sea level rise on the nesting success of Seaside Sparrow or other species are likely underestimates if they do not also consider the negative effects of predation on flooding risk. The flip side of this is that management actions to reduce nest predation could also reduce the risk of nest failures from flooding." 

If conservation strategies are used to protect seaside sparrows from predators, they can overcome the threats of both flooding and predation. The birds could place their nests higher up to stay clear of extreme high tides if their nesting sites were fenced in, for example.

Chris Elphick of the <a href="http://uconn.edu">University of Connecticut</a> is an expert on tidal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saltmarsh-sparrow-may-go-exctinct/">marsh birds</a> who commented on Hunter’s study. 

"The study nicely illustrates the importance of understanding the behavior of individual birds when trying to devise strategies to mitigate threats such as predation and tidal flooding,” said Elphick. “Regardless of the threat, it is increasingly clear that tidal marsh birds and their habitats are in trouble, and that we need to explore a range of potential solutions to find ways to help them persist in light of the many ways that humans are changing coastal habitats."

--

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.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a>

Image Credit: E. Hunter

Rising sea levels push Seaside Sparrows closer to predators

Seaside sparrows usually live in tidal marshes and build their...

When fire ants run into a tall obstruction while looking for food or escaping to new areas, they use their bodies to create structures that look like the Eiffel Tower, a new study found.

It only takes about 20 minutes to build the towers, which are several inches tall, the <a href="http://www.gatech.edu/">Georgia Institute of Technology</a> study said. There is no leader or coordinated effort by the ants, who wander around aimlessly following a certain set of rules, the study found.

"If you watched ants for 30 seconds, you could have no idea that something miraculous would be created in 20 minutes," said David Hu, a Georgia Tech mechanical engineering professor and co-leader of the study. "With no planning, and using trial-and-error, they create a bell-shaped structure that helps them survive."

The research is a follow-up to the group's 2014 “ant raft” research, which examined how ants link their bodies to build waterproof structures that stay afloat for months. The ants become building blocks of the raft.

They do the same thing for the towers, first searching for an empty spot. When they find one, one ant stops, and others climb on top to make the tower.

The tower gets wider as it grows taller, gradually becoming the same shape as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, researchers said.

"We found that ants can withstand 750 times their body weight without injury, but they seem to be most comfortable supporting three ants on their backs," said Craig Tovey, a co-author of the study and professor in Georgia Tech's Stewart School of Industrial &amp; Systems Engineering. "Any more than three and they'll simply give up, break their holds and walk away."

Ants keep the tower is in constant motion, sinking as the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fragile-insects-heat-reproduction/">insects</a> work. Ants slide down, then exit out of tunnels buried in the base. 

"Ant towers are like human skin," said Hu. "The tower is constantly rebuilding and replacing its surface."

The findings, published in the journal <a href="http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Royal Society Open Science</a>, could help with development of modular robots, which aren’t currently effective at building tall towers, the authors said.

They could also help scientists better understand insect survival, said Tovey.

"Ninety-nine percent of all the species that have ever lived on Earth are extinct," Tovey said. "The rest of us have developed very effective techniques to survive. Why wouldn't we study these processes?”

--

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.gatech.edu/">Georgia Institute of Technology</a>

Credit: Georgia Tech

How ants build a mini Eiffel Tower to escape danger

When fire ants run into a tall obstruction while looking...

An average of two vertebrate species go extinct every year but few people notice, according to a new study.

Extinctions often attract little attention because the rate seems relatively low and doesn’t pose an immediate threat to natural systems, according to the <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> study. 

"This is the case of a biological annihilation occurring globally, even if the species these populations belong to are still present somewhere on Earth," said co-author Rodolfo Dirzo. 

A 2015 study co-authored by Paul Ehrlich, Stanford Professor Emeritus of Biology, showed that Earth has entered an era of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-footprints-recovery-extinction/">mass extinction</a> unparalleled since the dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. 

In the new study, researchers mapped the ranges of 27,600 species of birds, amphibians, mammals and reptiles - representing nearly half of known terrestrial vertebrate species - and analyzed losses in 177 well-studied mammal species between 1990 and 2015.

More than 30 percent of vertebrate species are declining in population size and range, the study found. All of the 177 mammals for which the researchers had detailed data have lost 30 percent or more of their geographic ranges, and more than 40 percent have lost more than 80 percent, the study said.

Tropical regions have been the hardest hit, particularly the mammals of south and southeast Asia, where all the large-bodied species of mammals analyzed have lost more than 80 percent of their geographic ranges.

As many as 50 percent of the number of animals on Earth have disappeared, as have billions of animal populations. This amounts to "a massive erosion of the greatest biological diversity in the history of Earth," the authors write.

"The massive loss of populations and species reflects our lack of empathy to all the wild species that have been our companions since our origins," said the new study's lead author, Gerardo Ceballos of the<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Autonomous_University_of_Mexico"> National Autonomous University of Mexico</a>. "It is a prelude to the disappearance of many more species and the decline of natural systems that make civilization possible."

The researchers call for curbs on human overpopulation and overconsumption - and challenge society to move away from "the fiction that perpetual growth can occur on a finite planet."

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>

Image: Gerardo Ceballos

Population declines underway, two species go extinct each year

An average of two vertebrate species go extinct every year...

One of the friendliest and least aggressive members of the primate family is the bonobo. The species is known for their peaceful demeanor and docile nature, as well as their friendly relationships between sexes within their groups. However, researchers have recently found that these friendly social settings still don’t allow for equal opportunity when it comes to mating. 

Certain males within the group may have a significant advantage over others in siring offspring. In fact, in one group that was studied, researchers found that a single male was responsible for over 60 percent of an entire generation of bonobos.

Even though primate communities such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-patrol-territory/">chimpanzees</a> are known to be more aggressive and male-dominated, the study found that the reproductive imbalance for bonobos was significantly higher. The researchers aren’t yet sure why this is the case, but they believe that it may be due to the tendency for the majority of females to choose to mate with the single, most attractive male – not unlike a bonobo version of The Bachelor.

Martin Surbeck of the <a href="http://www.eva.mpg.de/index.html">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> in Germany and his colleagues have been studying bonobo societies for years, focusing specifically on the relationships between males and females. They noticed that within the bonobo groups, males would invest time in friendly relationships with certain females. Surbeck and his team believe this behavior may increase paternity success for those males.

In their study, the researchers tested the paternity of 24 bonobo offspring over a 12-year period in one bonobo community in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and compared the paternity data to published data in chimpanzee communities.

They originally thought that the freedom bonobo females have to choose their mates would create a greater distribution of paternity across the males of the community, but it turned out to be the opposite. In their paper, they state, “if female choice is the mechanisms behind our observation, all females seem to prefer more or less the same male.”

The researchers think one of the factors for this difference between bonobos and chimpanzees is that bonobos spend more time as a larger group. This means that low-ranking males may have fewer chances to sneak away and copulate with certain females. However, female choice is likely be playing a major role as well.

“Unlike chimpanzees, where all adult males outrank all adult females, and even the lowest-ranking males can coerce females into mating, there appears to be a greater role for female choice in bonobos,” explains Kevin Langergraber of <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a>. “Perhaps they choose high-ranking males.”

Moving forward, the researchers will attempt to observe more bonobo groups in order to ensure that this behavior isn’t unique to a single community. More information on this study can be found in the journal Current Biology.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Image Credit: Zanna Clay / LuiKotale Bonobo Research Project

Friendly bonobos display aggressive mating tendencies

One of the friendliest and least aggressive members of the...

Researcher H. Arthur Woods of the <a href="http://www.umt.edu/">University of Montana, Missoula</a>, and his team went on a mission to Antarctica in order to explore the phenomenon of “polar gigantism.” For years, scientists have observed that polar species tend to have larger bodies than their temperate and tropical relatives. This has led to researchers wondering how these larger species function physiologically – including how they get enough oxygen to all parts of their body. Woods and colleagues were studying this phenomenon in sea spiders – looking at their beating hearts under microscopes – when he realized that the spiders’ hearts were beating very weakly. 

In fact, their hearts weren’t pushing any blood past the spiders’ central area. What Woods then noticed was that the spiders’ guts were exhibiting strong and organized contractions.

“My 'aha!' moment was to consider that maybe all that sloshing of blood and guts was not about digestion but instead about moving respiratory gases around,” says Woods.

The researchers point out that sea spiders have a unique gut to begin with, as their guts branch our from their center and sections of gut tube extend to the end of every leg. 

Woods explains, “In effect, sea spiders guts are ‘space-filling’ and ubiquitous in their bodies in the same way that our circulatory systems are space-filling and ubiquitous.”

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ground-spiders-ambush-prey/">spiders</a> are able to use this system to move fluids through gut peristalsis, which is the movement of waves of involuntary constriction and relaxation of muscles. Humans use gut peristalsis as well in order to mix our gut contents and move them through our digestive system.

Woods and his team performed a series of experiments and observations in 12 sea spider species. They used video microscopy of tracers in the spiders’ hemolymph and guts while manipulating the guts’ ability to contract – effectively allowing them to test and confirm their hypothesis.

Researchers say they are not sure if this physiological function first arose for purely digestive functions and the respiratory benefits came later or vice versa. But they do know that this discovery is a prime example of the diversity of evolutionary solutions that Earth’s organisms find. 

More information on this study can be found in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Image: Timothy R. Dwyer (PolarTREC 2016), Courtesy of ARCUS

Sea spiders use their guts, not their hearts, to pump oxygen

Researcher H. Arthur Woods of the University of Montana, Missoula,...

Rangeomorphs – ancient animals ranging from centimeters to two meters in height – were much larger than the microscopic species that roamed Earth at the same time.

But what made the ocean-dwelling organisms so comparatively huge? 

"What we wanted to know is why these large organisms appeared at this particular point in Earth's history," said Dr. Jennifer Hoyal Cuthill of <a href="http://www.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge University</a>. "They show up in the fossil record with a bang, at very large size. We wondered, was this simply a coincidence or a direct result of changes in ocean chemistry?"

Rangeomorphs lived in Earth’s oceans between 635 and 541 million years ago. Their bodies branched into fractals, shapes that are still seen in modern organisms.

In some ways, the ancient animals resembled plants more than modern animal life.

Using micro-CT technology, the researchers looked at rangeomorph fossils from Canada, Australia, the UK and Newfoundland. What they discovered may be the earliest evidence of nutrient-dependent growth among ancient animals. This “shape-shifting” ability allowed rangeomorphs to grow larger depending on whether they were in water with more nutrients or oxygen.

The adaptation may have been a response to changes in the ocean’s chemistry during the Ediacaran Period, when rangeomorphs lived.

"During the Ediacaran, there seem to have been major changes in the Earth's oceans, which may have triggered growth, so that life on Earth suddenly starts getting much bigger," Hoyal Cuthill said in a press release. "It's probably too early to conclude exactly which geochemical changes in the Ediacaran oceans were responsible for the shift to large body sizes, but there are strong contenders, especially increased oxygen, which animals need for respiration."

The largest factor may have been a massive influx of oxygen into Earth’s oceans during the Ediacaran. Low oxygen levels prior to that time period may have keep ancient animals small. The study is finding clues that may explain how other animal species became so large.

When conditions changed again in the “Cambrian Explosion,” more large species developed and rangeomorphs were crowded out, the researchers said.

The study will be published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-017-0222-7">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>. 

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image Credit: Dr. Jennifer Hoyal Cuthill of <a href="http://www.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge University</a>

How and why did ancient animals grow so large?

Rangeomorphs – ancient animals ranging from centimeters to two meters...

Tomato plants can turn caterpillars into cannibals, a new study found.

The plants can release a chemical that makes themselves so distasteful that the normally vegetarian insects will resort to eating their own kind, the <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin Madison</a> study said.

“We struck upon a way that plants defend themselves that nobody had really appreciated before," saId postdoctoral researcher Brian Connolly. "It's grisly and macabre, but it's energy transfer."

The researchers set up experiments using <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/supermarket-tomatoes-taste/">tomato</a> plants and a species of caterpillar called the beet armyworm.

"Beet armyworms are important agricultural pests, in part because they can feed on a variety of plants," Connolly says. "And early, influential work describing plant responses to herbivore attacks used tomato and beet armyworm. We build on that work here."

Many plants can produce defensive chemicals such as jasmonate to deter their attackers.

This allows other plants to detect the airborne substances emitted and begin to invest in their own defenses.

In the new study, researchers sprayed tomato plants in plastic containers with either a control solution or a range of concentrations of methyl jasmonate - low, medium and high -- and then added eight caterpillar larvae to each container. 

Caterpillars living with the well-defended plants became cannibalistic much sooner than their counterparts with access to the less-well-defended plants, the study found.

"From the plant's perspective, this is a pretty sweet outcome, turning herbivores on each other," said University of Wisconsin-Madison integrated biology Professor John Orrock, author of the study. "Cannibals not only benefit the plant by eating herbivores, but cannibals also don't have as much appetite for plant material, presumably because they're already full from eating other caterpillars."

The research found that cannibalistic caterpillars on defended plants grew at similar rates to caterpillars given access to undefended plants.

However, caterpillars on well-defended plants with no fresh caterpillar carcasses ate less plant and grew slowly.

"The next step in this work is to figure out whether accelerated cannibalism would slow, or increase, the rate of spread of insect pathogens," said Orrock.

Researchers also hope to better understand whether caterpillars are as quick to turn to cannibalism when they are not trapped with a single plant, as they were in the lab, he said.

The study was published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin Madison</a>

How plants can turn caterpillars into cannibals

Tomato plants can turn caterpillars into cannibals, a new study...

One of the most invasive marine species in Europe has arrived on Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline in alarming numbers. According to the <a href="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">Associated Press</a>, the appearance of large swarms of nomad jellyfish is reviving a dispute over the Suez Canal.

The nomad <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/pee-jellyfish-sting/">jellyfish</a>, Rhopilema nomadica, is native to the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, yet has been showing up in the Mediterranean by way of the Suez Canal since the 1970’s. Despite this fact, many blame the recent invasion on the 2015 expansion of the Suez Canal.

The jellyfish interrupted the Eid al-Fitr holiday last month, as beach-goers avoided the water and took to social media with pictures of the unwelcome visitors. The numbers of nomad jellyfish appearing in the Mediterranean has steadily increased over the years, but this year they are especially dominant.

The Suez Canal has been expanded several times since it was built in 1869. However, the 2015 project was a multi-billion dollar transformation. Egyptian officials deny the expansion is to blame for this year’s unprecedented jellyfish invasion.

Mostafa Fouda, an advisor to the Environment Minister, points out that this is not the first time nomad jellyfish have appeared on Egypt's north coast. “This time the number was just larger than previous years,” explains Fouda.

Egypt’s environmental ministry has set up a team to assess the phenomenon. They believe there are many other factors to be considered for the abundance of alien jellyfish this year such as global warming, the availability of more food, or a lack of predators.

While experts agree that these environmental influences may have allowed a spike in the nomadic jellyfish population, many feel the larger waterway has increased the progression of the creatures from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

Jason Hall-Spencer is a marine biologist at Britain's Plymouth University. He says,"The primary cause of the invasion of jellyfish is the Suez Canal. Other ecosystem stressors have allowed them to thrive and become a plague.”

--

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="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">Associated Press</a>

Egypt’s Suez Canal blamed for jellyfish invasion

One of the most invasive marine species in Europe has...

Greenland sharks, rare vertebrates found deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, have incredibly long life spans of up to 400 years. The biology and genetic makeup of these fascinating creatures is relatively unknown. Scientists now believe that these sharks may hold the secret to longer life in humans.

Researchers from the <a href="https://en.uit.no/om/art?p_document_id=343547&amp;dim=179040">Arctic University of Norway</a> have set out to determine what is in the genetic makeup of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-wave-glacier-greenland/">Greenland</a> shark that allows them to live a longer life. They are mapping the DNA of the sharks to discover “unique genes” that will disclose the mystery behind the sharks’ resilience and longevity.

The researchers collected DNA from the fins of the Greenland sharks, some of which were alive in the Georgian era. They were able to sequence the full genome of almost 100 sharks. The team is examining the DNA in an effort to find out what dictates the life expectancy of animals and humans. 

Professor Kim Praebel is leading the study. She spoke about the research at a conference in Exeter.  

'This is the longest living vertebrate on the planet,” said Professor Praebel. “Together with colleagues in Denmark, Greenland, USA, and China, we are currently sequencing its whole nuclear genome which will help us discover why the Greenland shark not only lives longer than other shark species but other vertebrates.”

Genetic data from the sharks may be able to shed light on the impact of climate change and show what effect it has had on the sharks over centuries. The study may also reveal when contaminants from human activities began changing the ocean’s dynamics and to what extent commercial fishing has impacted Greenland sharks.  

While the researchers continue on their quest to find the “long-life” genes, they are getting some insight into the behavior of Greenland sharks.

“Since the Greenland shark lives for hundreds of years, they also have enough time to migrate over long distances and our genetic results showed exactly that,” said Professor Praebel. “Most of the individuals in our study were genetically similar to individuals caught thousands of kilometers away.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="https://en.uit.no/om/art?p_document_id=343547&amp;dim=179040">Arctic University of Norway</a>

Image Credit: Julius Nielsen

400 year-old sharks may hold the secret to longer life for humans

Greenland sharks, rare vertebrates found deep in the waters of...

If you were a hungry bear wandering the woods and you saw a free meal out in the open for the taking, chances are you probably wouldn’t think twice before eating it. And what if that meal consisted of sugary foods, like cookies, donuts, or candy? Well in that case, you would probably scarf it down before you even had a chance to taste it.

These high-calorie, high-sugar foods are currently being used as bait by bear hunters in many states. Out of the 30 states that permit hunting black bears, 12 allow baiting prior to the opening of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artifacts-earliest-hunting-tools/">hunting</a> season. Due to these tactics, new research has found that baits used by hunters have become a significant portion of black bears’ diets. In fact, in northern Wisconsin, over 40% of the diet of harvested animals was made up of bait subsidies.

Scientists believe that the practice of bear-baiting may now be bolstering the bear population density in the region – and that the goals and consequences of these baiting policies need to be reassessed.

“It’s not surprising that bears are eating bear bait, but what is notable is the extent,” says Dr. Rebecca Kirby, lead author of the study. “Not only are these bears consuming bait just before they are harvested, but also throughout their lifetimes, which makes them one of the most highly subsidized populations of bears.”

These new findings are causing researchers and game management in these areas to re-evaluate bear-baiting and hunting policies. While everyone may enjoy a good donut every now and then, it’s important for bear populations not to become reliant on Krispy Kremes.

More information on this study can be found in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1937-2817">Journal of Wildlife Management</a>.

--

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://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1937-2817">Wiley</a>

How bear populations are being subsidized by donuts

If you were a hungry bear wandering the woods and...

A new study by the <a href="https://ist.ac.at/">Institute of Science and Technology Austria</a> uncovers some of the mystery behind sex chromosomes in butterflies.

Female <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/promiscuous-female-butterflies-control-fertilization/">butterflies</a> determine the sex of offspring by passing along Z (male) or W (female) chromosomes, according to the study. Males are ZZ, females are ZW.  Birds and some fish also have ZW pairs. The Z chromosome is larger and has many genes, while the W consists mainly of repetitive DNA.

W-chromosomes often degenerate and lose genes, the researchers said. 

Female butterflies somehow compensate for the loss of genetic information in a biological phenomenon called dosage compensation.

Previous studies have provided an incomplete picture, with some species having complete compensation of the Z while others seemingly less so.

"Dosage compensation is common and well understood in XY species, but there has been speculation for decades that ZW species may not have it," said study leader Beatriz Vicoso. "The inconsistent patterns in butterflies and moths had further muddled the picture."

The researchers tried to clear up the confusion with an examination in butterflies and moths.

They examined the gene expression patterns in two butterfly and two moth species to better understand dosage compensation.

Contrary to previously inconsistent findings, dosage compensation appears to be common in somatic tissues throughout the clade. The expression of Z-linked genes is consistently equalized between the sexes in all species studied, the study found.

However, testing of tissue in the testis and ovaries revealed that Z-chromosome expression was not balanced between the sexes. This is probably due to a masculinization of the Z chromosome.

Removing those strongly sex-biased genes restored balance between male and female gene expression of the Z chromosome. 

The bias is found in the accumulation of genes with testis-specific function, the authors speculated.

"Our study shows that these inconsistencies were due to differences in experimental setup, and that dosage compensation is not just possible but widespread in this ZW group," said Vicoso.

There is still much to be learned, but the study results “take us one step closer to understanding what drives some species to balance the expression of their sex chromosome, while other do not," Vicoso said.

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe">Molecular Biology and Evolution</a>. 

---

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe">Molecular Biology and Evolution</a>

Unraveling the mystery of butterfly sex chromosomes

A new study by the Institute of Science and Technology...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...