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>.



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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...

There is one animal on Earth that has a double kneecap: the ostrich. Scientists, however, still haven’t figured out why or how it developed.

But that’s not stopping them from studying it. 

"Understanding more about different kneecap configurations in different animals could help to inform prosthesis design, surgical interventions, and even robots with better joints,” said Sophie Regnault, a doctoral student at the <a href="http://www.rvc.ac.uk/">Royal Veterinary College</a> in the United Kingdom.

Ostriches have an upper kneecap that is structured much like kneecaps in other animals. However, they also have a lower kneecap that is shaped and structured much like a human elbow – a fixed, bony structure.

The double kneecap seems to be unique to ostriches, Regnault said. Even extinct giant bird species don’t seem to have a similar knee structure.

The purpose of the double kneecap isn’t immediately clear, she said. However, it could have an effect on the ostrich’s running ability.

"We speculate that this might mean ostriches are able to extend their knees relatively faster than they would with one kneecap,” Regnault said in a press release.

Regnault and her team used CT scans and fluoroscopy to study ostrich leg structures in various positions. They then build an animated, 3D model of an ostrich leg to study its movement.

The model has helped them to better understand how the double kneecap structure works and its limitations, but has brought them no closer to understanding why or how the ostrich’s unique kneecap developed in the first place.

"We are still not sure why ostriches might have evolved this second kneecap," Regnault said. "It might help to protect the tendon of these heavy fast-running birds, but there are other potential roles that we haven't yet explored."

Regnault and her team will present their research at the <a href="https://www.sebiology.org/">Society for Experimental Biology’s</a> annual main meeting on Monday in Gothenburg, Sweden.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Ostriches have a double kneecap, but scientists still don't know why

There is one animal on Earth that has a double...

Orca whales are having trouble finding enough fish to eat, making it more difficult for them to reproduce, a new study found.

Two-thirds of orca pregnancies failed over a seven-year period, according to the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> study that examined orca excrement collected at sea.

"A large number of whales are conceiving, but when nutrition is poor, they don't sustain those pregnancies," said Sam Wasser, lead author of the paper and a University of Washington professor.

The study focused on food supply as an important stress factor among these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-whales-limited-hearing-land/">whales</a>, who typically eat fish. While other killer whales usually eat marine mammals, these orcas primarily eat salmon.

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

"I think it's fair to call out nutrition as a major stressor for these guys," said Joe Gaydos, a wildlife veterinarian and science director of <a href="http://www.seadocsociety.org/">SeaDoc Society</a>.

Loss of habitat from urban development, dams, fishing, pollution and competition from non-native fish have caused many species of salmon to be listed as threatened or endangered.

Researchers also studied two whale hormones that play important roles in physiological stress and were able to differentiate between stress from poor nutrition and stress from boat traffic.

Transient resident whales that feed on marine mammals confront similar boat noise and pollution but haven't had the same kind of pregnancy problems as the fish-eating whales, the study said.

Improving Chinook salmon runs by reducing pollution could help save Puget Sound orcas, the study added.

--

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://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ORCAS_PREGNANCY_PROBLEMS_WAOL-?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2017-06-29-14-37-36">AP</a>

Orca whale reproduction harmed by food shortfall

Orca whales are having trouble finding enough fish to eat,...

The largest field study to date concludes that widely used pesticides called neonicotinoids weakened honeybee hives in Europe.

Researchers planted about 7.7 square miles of rapeseed, which is used to make cooking oil. Some of the seeds were treated with pesticides and others weren’t.

Beehives in Hungary and England near fields with pesticide-treated seeds had lower survival rates than those with non-pesticide seeds, the study found. In Hungary, the honeybee colonies near treated fields had 24 percent fewer worker bees the next spring when compared to those near untreated crops.

In Germany, however, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/east-african-honey-bees/">bees</a> did not seem to be harmed by the pesticide-treated seeds. An analysis of the pollen determined that German bees were healthier to start with, with a broader diet that included less of the pesticide-treated seeds, said study director Richard Pywell. The German bee diet was only 10 percent from neonicotinoid-treated plants, compared to more than 50 percent in Hungary and Great Britain, he said.

The study was published Thursday in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

If hives weakened by disease, parasites, or bad diet, neonicotinoids push them "over the edge," said Pywell, a scientist at the <a href="https://www.ceh.ac.uk/">Center for Ecology and Hydrology</a> in England. 

Researchers couldn’t calculate the exact impact of the insecticide because so many of the hives died, in both treated and untreated fields.

Wild bees were also weakened by the insecticide, the study found. One neonicotinoid brand seemed to be more harmful to both wild bees and honeybees.

Europe banned neonicotinoids in 2013 and researchers needed a special exemption for the study. Another study also cites problems with neonicotinoids in Canada.

Although the studies reveal neonicotinoids harm bees, they still may not quite be the leading cause of bee losses, <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a> entomologist Dennis vanEngelsdorp, who wasn't involved in the study, told AP.

"The problem remains complex, like cancer," vanEngelsdorp said.

Neonicotinoids makers Bayer and Syngenta, which make neonicotinoids, funded the European study but had no control over the results or the published paper, Pywell added.

Company officials pointed to the results in Germany and the lack of harm to hives there.

"The study shows that when hives are healthy and relatively disease free and when bees have access to diverse forage, neonics do not pose a danger to colony health," Bayer spokesman Jeffrey Donald told AP.

Syngenta's Peter Campbell, head of research collaborations, said the study "strongly suggests the effects of neonicotinoids are a product of interacting factors."

--

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://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SCI_BEES_PESTICIDE?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2017-06-29-14-41-42">AP</a>

Study: Honeybee hives weakened by common pesticides

The largest field study to date concludes that widely used...

Without even realizing it, most of us are probably experts at reading dogs. Unlike cats, who are typically enigmatic, unpredictable and just generally shady, dogs are fairly easy to understand. Here are some basic behaviors and actions to remind you of what your dog is trying to communicate.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_401908480.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-717804" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_401908480-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>

If your dog approaches you with a ‘play bow,’ with front legs flat against the ground and hind legs standing straight, it is an invitation to play.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_337520018.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-717805" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_337520018-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>

When a dog rolls onto his back, presenting his stomach, it is either a sign of passive resistance to a perceived threat, a request for some love in the form of a belly rub, or an indication of feeling secure and comfortable in his surroundings. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_518607346.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-717806" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_518607346-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>

A dog who freezes mid-action, like while eating or gnawing on a chew toy, is signaling that he would like some space while he works on whatever he’s doing. Maybe give him a few minutes.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_93775996.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-717807" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_93775996-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>

If your dog brings you his chew toy or a ball, it is often assumed that he wants to play or ‘go fetch.’ However, he is more likely presenting you with a gift for you to enjoy. He is be letting you know that he loves you enough to share his favorite toy with you.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_171435101.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-717808" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_171435101-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>

Leaning against your body with his body is his idea of cuddling. Similarly, if your dog prefers sleeping with you in your bed, you are his favorite. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_358343798.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-717809" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_358343798-300x188.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="188" /></a>

If your dog stares calmly at you when you leave for work in the morning, he’s not guilt tripping you. He’s actually communicating that he trusts you enough to come back safely. And if they tackle you when you get home, your dog considers you BAE.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_224192899.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-717810" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/shutterstock_224192899-300x212.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="212" /></a>

When your dogs sniffs your hard to reach crevices, he’s trying to get a sense of your emotional well-being through the apocrine glands located in your nether regions and armpits. That’s also what they’re doing when they sniff other dogs’ butts.

Digging holes in the yard or chewing up shoes are often indicators that they would like more attention from you. If your stuff is getting chewed up more than anyone else’s in the house, the dog most likely feels most attached to you.

And then there are the physical signals.

Eye contact is another very useful way to read what your canine is looking to communicate. Bright, constant eye contact is essentially a proclamation of love. Dilated pupils and exposed whites of the eyes mean the dog is scared or sensing danger. If your dog is avoiding eye contact with you, it means he is uncomfortable or feeling guilty about something he knows he did wrong.

If his tongue is hanging loosely from his open mouth, he is essentially smiling and probably wants to play. If he is flicking his tongue at you it often means he knows he messed up and he’s sorry. His tongue pulled back into his mouth with his teeth exposed means he is sensing aggression and ready to fight.

A<a href="http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/what-my-dog-trying-tell-me/15185"> tail</a> tucked tightly between his legs indicates extreme fear. A low, fast wagging tail is like a nervous smile. A high, slow wagging tail probably means he is trying to manipulate you into giving him something you don’t want to give. Slow wagging in general means the dog is cautious. A mid-level, fast wag where the tail hits the body reveals excited anticipation. A<a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(13)01143-3"> Current Biology</a> article asserts that wagging his tail to the right is a sign of positive feelings, while wagging to the left is understood to indicate negative feelings.

If the dog’s ears are raised, he is either confident and relaxed or intently listening. Ears back mean he is fearful or submitting.

Stanley Coren has examined what dogs are communicating with the sounds they make and posted those results in<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201103/what-are-dogs-trying-say-when-they-bark"> Psychology Today</a>. Low pitched growls tend to mean, “stay away.” High pitched sounds are often invitations to play or signs of excitement. Faster and more frequent sounds also usually indicate excitement. Two to four barks with pauses in between essentially say, “Hey guys, something is off. Come check this out.” Lower pitched continuous barking mixed with growling says, “Danger is approaching. Get ready to fight!” Constant barking with pauses in between each one says, “I’m lonely. Come pay attention to me.” And the stutter bark in the play bow means, you guessed it, “COME PLAY!!!”

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Darryl Joseph</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A guide to understanding what your dog means

Without even realizing it, most of us are probably experts...

A new look at a disregarded discovery is giving researchers insight into an ancient Swiss reptile. The well-preserved remains of the Swiss reptile, Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi, were reconstructed by scientists to reveal a creature that looked like a mythical dragon with bony-plated armor.

Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi was first described 14 years ago using a sample that was broken and only partially preserved. Most aspects of the appearance and lives of the ancient creatures remained unknown. 

The sample used for the current study was a well-preserved fossil recovered 15 years ago near the easternmost canton of Switzerland known as Grisons. The 241-million-year-old fossil was found in a calcareous deposit among fish and marine reptiles, and was mistakenly identified as a fish. 

Over a decade after the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/teeth-fossils-prehistoric-dentistry/">fossil</a> was first found, scientists finally pieced together the fascinating image of this ancient reptile. The skeleton of the Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi that was assembled by the team stood approximately 20 centimeters long with a well-developed armor of osteoderms. 

The researchers were surprised how much the reptile looked like girdled lizards, or Cordylidae. Some of the more strongly-armored girdled lizard species may have served as the basis for the creation of mythical dragons due to their appearance. 

The Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi also closely resembled small, scaly reptiles found today in the desert of southern Africa. Torsten Scheyer, a paleontologist at the <a href="http://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a>, led the Swiss-British team in the study. 

"This is a case of convergent development as the extinct species is not closely related to today's African lizards,” explained Scheyer.

Genetic analysis of the specimen revealed that the reptiles were most closely related to various marine reptiles including ichthyosaurs, or “fish lizards.” However, the skeleton showed no signs of fins or flippers which would indicate that the species dwelled in the sea. 

The scientists believe the Eusaurosphargis dalsassoi resided on beach islands in shallow waters like its marine relatives, and that the remains of this particular creature washed into the water and settled into the sea basin after it died around 241 million years ago.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a>

Source: <a href="http://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a>

Image Credit: Beat Scheffold, Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich

Ancient Swiss reptile fossil resembles mythical dragons

A new look at a disregarded discovery is giving researchers...

A centuries-old fish trap constructed of rock walls has been discovered by archeologists on Alaska’s Kodiak Island, the <a href="https://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/">Kodiak Daily Mirror</a> reported.

At high tide, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tapeworm-salmon-sushi/">salmon</a> could swim into the stream, and would be stranded in one two corrals when the tide receded, said Patrick Saltonstall, curator of archaeology at <a href="https://www.alutiiqmuseum.org/">Alutiiq Museum</a> in Kodiak. 

Although similar fish traps have been found in Kodiak streams, Saltonstall said this is the first  ocean trap he has seen. 

"They're pretty big piles,” he said. “They're like four or five feet across. They're stacked."  

Over the years, the trap has deteriorated, likely from tides, so that it is no longer able to catch fish.

"The walls have gotten too low and they're too many gaps," said Saltonstall.

He estimated that the trap was likely used about 500 years ago and would have had to be maintained, probably by several families or a village.

A survey of the area is being conducted with <a href="https://www.nps.gov/">National Park Service</a> grants as part of a two-year Afognak Native Corp. effort to map important cultural sites. It has identified other historical sites including fox farms and an abandoned gold mine.

--

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.kodiakdailymirror.com/">Kodiak Daily Mirror</a>,<a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PREHISTORIC_FISH_TRAP_ALASKA?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2017-06-28-19-06-15"> AP</a>

Archeologists find 500-year-old fish trap in Alaska

A centuries-old fish trap constructed of rock walls has been...

Animal obesity levels have been steadily growing in America, and the numbers are still climbing. According to a new study, one out of every three pets in the United States is overweight. 

The research was published in the 2017 State of Pet Health report issued by <a href="https://www.banfield.com/home">Banfield Pet Hospital</a>. The report says the “alarming levels” of pet obesity reflect a 169 percent increase in obese <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-domesticated-10000-years/">cats</a> and 158 percent increase in obese dogs over the last 10 years.

The study evaluated 2.5 million dogs and 500,000 cats at pet hospitals in various regions of the country last year. The findings of the study indicate that owners of overweight pets will spend 17 percent more on healthcare and 25 percent more on medications over the next four years. 

According to <a href="https://press8.petinsurance.com/articles/2016/december/nationwide-data-reveals-pet-obesity-on-the-rise-for-sixth-straight-year">Nationwide</a>, the largest provider of pet healthcare, 20 percent of pet insurance claims in 2015 were due to obesity-related conditions at a cost of over 60 million dollars. The most common obesity-related illness in cats is bladder and urinary tract disease, while overweight dogs suffer most frequently from arthritis. 

Other common diseases for both cats and dogs that are caused by obesity include diabetes, liver disease, and heart failure. Dr. Kirk Breuninger is a veterinary research associate at Banfield Pet Hospital. He points out that over 20 diseases are linked to excess weight in pets. 

Experts agree that one of the main causes of animal obesity is that pet owners are unaware of the ideal weight for their pets and are uninformed of their nutritional needs. Additional causes of pet of obesity are lack of exercise and overfeeding.

Dr. Breuninger says that some animal breeds are prone to obesity, such as Maine Coons and Labrador Retrievers. He explains that thyroid conditions or intestinal worms may also contribute to extra weight in pets. 

Dr. Breuninger suggests that animal owners determine a healthy weight for their pet with a veterinarian. A proper diet and exercise plan should also be established to maintain the ideal weight. Some easy ways to keep pets on a healthy track include limiting treats and human food, monitoring calories, and sticking to an exercise schedule.

--

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://www.banfield.com/home">Banfield Pet Hospital</a>

One-third of American pets are overweight, with numbers climbing

Animal obesity levels have been steadily growing in America, and...

Higher sea temperatures may compromise the health of California sea lions, according to a new study.

Researchers from Mexico's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_university">Autonomous University</a> compared body condition and immune competence of 61 California sea lion pups born in during 2014 and 2015, when sea surface temperatures were high, compared to those born 2013, when sea surface <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mother-pearl-record-ancient-ocean-temperatures/">temperatures</a> were normal.

Data included blood levels of glucose, a marker of malnutrition, and IgG and IgA immunoglobulins, two different types of antibodies. In addition, the researchers tested pup responses to an immune challenge: injections of phytohemagglutinin, a plant-derived compound that stimulates division of immune system cells called T lymphocytes.

The researchers found that blood glucose was 15 percent lower in pups born when sea surface temperatures were high, suggesting that they were in early stages of starvation. 

The pups also had markedly lower levels of two immunoglobulins and were unable to respond to the immune challenge. 

The study, published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, suggests that atypical climatic conditions may limit energetic reserves and compromise the immune response in California sea lion pups,  potentially leading to high death rates, the authors said.

The entire northeastern Pacific ecosystem could likewise be vulnerable to high sea surface temperatures, according to the study.

During 2014 and 2015, sea surface temperatures on the Pacific Coast of North America were 2 to 5 degrees celsius higher than normal. High sea surface temperatures decrease primary productivity and ultimately the availability of prey for marine mammals. 

California sea lions are likely to be particularly vulnerable to prey declines because they typically forage within 100 kilometers of their breeding sites, the study said. Prey declines could force them to extend foraging trips and eat lower value prey, which could affect pregnant and lactating females as well as pups.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>

Sea lions suffer from higher ocean temperatures

Higher sea temperatures may compromise the health of California sea...

In 2014, Ornithologist Miguel A. Gomez Garza was visiting a secluded part of the Yucatan Peninsula when he noticed parrots with color patterns that stood out as unique. The bird expert's discovery has led to the validation of a new parrot species, the Blue-winged Amazon.

A genetic evaluation revealed that the species evolved from A. albifrons, or the White-fronted parrot, around 120,000 years ago. At this time, the Blue-winged Amazon parrots had developed features that distinguished them from their ancestors. 

The most distinctive feature of the Blue-winged Amazon is it loud, repetitive call. The duration of syllables used for its vocalization is significantly longer than those of other Amazon parrot species.  Sharp sounds made by the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genes-determine-music-songbirds/">birds</a> are more similar to the call of Accipiters than to those of other parrots. 

While the new species is named for its blue covert feathers, an exclusive green crown truly sets it apart from other Amazon parrots. Blue-winged Amazon parrots live in small flocks that typically consist of 12 or less individuals. Mates and their offspring usually stick together, and have unique family features. 

The Blue-winged Amazon lives in the same area of the Yucatan Peninsula as the White-fronted Amazon and the Yucatan Amazon, but it does not crossbreed with them. All members of the genus Amazona are herbivores that eat seeds, fruit, flowers, and leaves.

The description of the newly-named Amazona gomezgarzai is published today in the open-access journal <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>. The classification of the Blue-winged Amazon as a new species is based on its shape, color pattern, call, and behavior. The study highlights the similarities and differences of these features compared to other Amazon parrot species. 

--

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://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>

Image Credit: Tony Silva

New Yucatan parrot species named the Blue-winged Amazon

In 2014, Ornithologist Miguel A. Gomez Garza was visiting a...

The world’s population of giraffes is declining at an alarming rate, as fewer than 100,000 individuals still exist in their native habitats. In the last 20 years, scientists believe the giraffe population has decreased by almost 40 percent. Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has this species categorized as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Scientists think that this decline in population is due to a number of factors, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rhinoceros-poaching-paris/">poaching</a>, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and disease. In fact, some giraffe subpopulations have decreased so rapidly, they are now extinct in seven African countries.

Because of these problems, conservationists have been working hard over the past few years to track and count giraffe species. Unfortunately, this type of work can be both challenging and expensive. Monitoring giraffe populations often takes place in remote areas with tough terrain.

Luckily, <a href="http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/">San Diego Zoo Global</a> has now announced a new project that allows anyone with a computer or smartphone to play a role in giraffe conservation and research. The organization launched an online crowdsourcing project called Wildwatch Kenya on Zooniverse, which is the largest online platform for crowdsourced volunteer research.

This program allows anyone with internet access to sort through thousands of trail camera photos in order to help identify and track giraffes as well as other wildlife in northern Kenya.

“We need help counting, identifying and tracking the giraffes and other wildlife in the photos,” says David O’Connor, a conservation ecologist at <a href="http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/">San Diego Zoo Global</a>. “Inviting the public to help is key to organizing the data, which is vital to the success of our conservation projects. It also provides a chance to people to do important work to help save species.”

Over the past year, a network of over 100 motion-activated trail cameras has captured more than 1 million images in the field. Allowing the public to access these photos – rather than making just a few researchers sort through this massive backlog – will help these scientists save time and money.

“Community conservancies are where we’re seeing strong signs of hope with increasing giraffe population numbers,” says O’Connor. “We are working hard to support those conservancies and the people that coexist with giraffes, to assist their incredible efforts on the front lines.”

--

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.sandiegozooglobal.org/">San Diego Zoo Global</a>

San Diego Zoo crowdsources for giraffe conservation

The world’s population of giraffes is declining at an alarming...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-bleaching-havoc-hawaiian/">we’ve reported</a> here at <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>, coral bleaching events triggered by global warming have been wreaking havoc on reefs worldwide. When the water temperature rises, it causes coral to release algae from their inner tissue as a response to the environmental stress. But without the algae, the corals starve and die off. Coral bleaching has already <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-coral-loss-worse/">killed</a> 28% of shallow water coral in the Great Barrier Reef and now targets a new victim: the Florida Keys. 

According to a new report from the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/business/environment/florida-reef/?utm_term=.c80502b95ea1&amp;wpisrc=nl_heads-draw6&amp;wpmm=1">Washington Post</a>, coral decay caused by global warming poses a direct threat to the economy of the Florida Keys. This is because the local economy is based on tourism, diving, and fishing that require healthy and diverse coral reefs.

The Florida Keys themselves actually developed from an ancient coral archipelago and contain numerous marinas and seafood restaurants. Tourism, a key pillar in the local economy, is driven by diving and snorkelling activities based around the natural beauty of the surrounding coral reefs.

According to the report, 3.5 million tourists visit the Florida Keys each year. Tourism accounts for 54% of all jobs and contributes $2.7 billion to the local economy, according to Monroe County.

Damaged and decaying reefs are not only less of an attraction of divers, but also negatively impact marine life and biodiversity. The increase of algae in the water drives away fish populations, which in turn, negatively impacts the fishing industry and seafood restaurants. 

Coral reefs in the area suffered traumatic bleaching events in 2014 and 2015, and scientists expect that by 2020, yearly bleaching events will be a regular occurrence.

Although the Keys have spent millions of dollars to protect the waters from pollution and human waste, the Washington Post feature points out that coral bleaching caused by global warming cannot be battled on a local level. 

-

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Rory Arnold</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/business/environment/florida-reef/?utm_term=.c80502b95ea1&amp;wpisrc=nl_heads-draw6&amp;wpmm=1">Washington Post</a>

How global warming could devastate the Florida Keys economy

As we’ve reported here at Earth.com, coral bleaching events triggered...

There’s no way to allow deep-sea mining without at least some loss of biodiversity in the ocean depths, according to a group of 15 scientists, economists and legal scholars from around the world.

"The extraction of nonrenewable resources always includes tradeoffs," said Dr. Linwood Pendleton of the <a href="https://www-iuem.univ-brest.fr/en/home">European Institute of Marine Studies</a>. "A serious trade-off for deep-sea mining will be an unavoidable loss of biodiversity, including many species that have yet to be discovered."

Pendleton, who also teaches at <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a>, and 14 others co-wrote a letter describing their concerns that will be published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</a> today. 

In the letter, they call on the International Seabed Authority to recognized the risks posed by deep-sea mining. They also ask the ISA to create a guide of standards and safeguards and use it to educate countries on the effects deep-sea mining has on ocean ecosystems.

They also urged for more extensive study of ocean ecosystems so that scientists can gain a better understanding of life under the sea before it is further altered by human activity.

"There is tremendous uncertainty about ecological responses to deep-sea mining," said oceanographer Dr. Cindy L. Van Dover of Duke University, another of the letter’s authors. "Responsible mining needs to rely on environmental management actions that will protect deep-sea biodiversity and not on actions that are unproven or unreasonable."

It’s important to take steps now, before deep-sea mining becomes an extensive industry, the scientists said. While there were only six major contracts for deep-sea mineral exploration in 2001, a full 27 projects will be underway by the end of this year, the scientists wrote.

Plans should be in place to mitigate any losses or disturbances to undersea ecosystems, they said.

Mining supporters have suggested that companies can help to restore coastal ecosystems to offset loss, but the scientists are concerned about deep-sea ecosystems, not coastal ones.

"The argument that you can compensate for the loss of biological diversity in the deep sea with gains in diversity elsewhere is so ambiguous as to be scientifically meaningless," said oceanographer Dr. Craig Smith of the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawai'i, Manoa</a>.

The authors of the correspondence include experts from the United States, France, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia and Poland.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image Source: <a href="http://explore.noaa.gov/">NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research</a>

Deep-sea mining will bring inevitable loss of biodiversity, experts say

There’s no way to allow deep-sea mining without at least...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" 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 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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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