Urban coyotes are thriving in cities, but not for the reasons one might expect. A recent study reveals that human-related factors, rather than access to natural habitats, have a stronger impact on their survival.&nbsp;



Researchers tracking coyotes in Chicago discovered that densely populated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-living-causes-chronic-stress-for-some-coyotes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human areas</a> are linked to longer coyote lifespans, overturning the conventional belief that wildlife fares better in more natural settings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-presence-plays-a-surprising-role">Human presence plays a surprising role</h2>



“What we found was really interesting, in that the societal characteristics seem to play a much more important role in predicting coyote survival time than the environmental characteristics,” said Emily Zepeda, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral scholar at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Ohio State University</a>.&nbsp;



“And then we found this positive effect of human population density on survival time. Both of those things are unexpected because we usually associate human activity with detrimental effects on wildlife.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-urban-coyote-research-project">The Urban Coyote Research Project</h2>



The study, recently published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11252-024-01643-w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Urban Ecosystems</a>, stems from the Urban Coyote Research Project, a long-term study of coyote ecology in the Chicago Metropolitan Area.&nbsp;



This research, led by wildlife ecologist Stan Gehrt, has monitored the behavior and ecology of Chicago’s estimated 4,000 coyotes, offering rare insights into how they adapt to urban life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-coyote-survival">Tracking coyote survival</h2>



For this study, researchers analyzed movement data from 214 coyotes tracked between 2013 and 2021. Using the length of time each coyote was monitored as a proxy for survival, they evaluated societal and environmental factors such as neighborhood income, human density, road density, and proximity to parks.



The findings revealed that human population density positively influenced coyote survival. Coyotes in areas with low human density tended to have shorter lifespans, while those in densely populated areas lived longer. Interestingly, the interaction between income and density also played a role.&nbsp;



In low-density areas, income had little effect on survival, likely due to the lack of human presence. However, in moderate- to high-density neighborhoods, coyotes in lower-income areas were 1.5 times more likely to survive to age two than those in wealthier areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-resources-and-competition-in-urban-settings">Resources and competition in urban settings</h2>



The researchers theorize that higher human population density provides urban coyotes with essential resources like food and shelter, helping them endure harsh conditions such as Chicago winters.&nbsp;



“We’ve hypothesized that population density may have a positive effect because it’s actually providing resources like human-related structures or food that allow coyotes to weather the harsh conditions of the winter, which is a major mortality factor for Chicago coyotes,” Zepeda explained.



However, these benefits may come at a cost in higher-income areas, where vegetation and better waste management can attract more coyotes, leading to increased competition and disease transmission.&nbsp;



“There might be more individuals in those areas, but survival time may be shorter there,” Zepeda said. “You might die younger in an area where there are a lot of competitors.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adaptability-of-coyotes">Adaptability of coyotes</h2>



Surprisingly, the study found no significant link between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-species-are-shifting-their-habitats-due-to-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">natural habitats</a> and coyote survival. Parks and nature preserves, often assumed to be ideal environments for coyotes, did not seem to offer a survival advantage.&nbsp;



“Anecdotally, we see really high densities of coyotes in nature preserves and urban parks. That’s often where you see coyotes in the city if you see them at all,” Zepeda said.



The researchers speculate that this finding could result from a variety of factors, including limitations in how habitat types are classified on city maps or more frequent hunting and trapping in natural areas.&nbsp;



Alternatively, it may highlight the adaptability of coyotes, which seem capable of thriving in urbanized environments despite their preference for natural habitats.&nbsp;



“It could speak to how adaptable they are that they might prefer natural habitat, but at least in terms of survival, they can do just as well in more urbanized areas,” Zepeda added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-societal-factors-and-urban-ecosystems">Societal factors and urban ecosystems</h2>



This study adds to growing evidence that societal factors affecting human populations also influence <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urban-biodiversity-is-not-a-luxury-it-is-attainable-for-everyone/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">urban ecosystems</a>. The presence or absence of humans, combined with the conditions in which they live, may overshadow natural influences on wildlife survival.&nbsp;



Gehrt’s long-term research emphasizes the importance of understanding these dynamics as urban areas expand.



As urban ecosystems continue to evolve, studies like this provide critical insights into how wildlife interacts with human populations.&nbsp;



Further research could explore specific societal factors - such as waste management practices or public attitudes toward coyotes - and their influence on urban <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/un-report-disturbing-details-about-the-state-of-earths-wildlife/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife</a>.



By better understanding these relationships, cities can develop strategies to foster coexistence between humans and animals, creating urban environments where both can thrive.



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Coyotes live longer in densely populated human areas

Urban coyotes are thriving in cities, but not for the reasons one might expect. A recent study reveals that human-related factors, rather than access to natural habitats, have a stronger impact on their survival.&nbsp; Researchers tracking coyotes in Chicago discovered that densely populated human areas are linked to longer coyote lifespans, overturning the conventional belief that wildlife fares better in more natural settings. Human presence plays a surprising role “What we found was really interesting, in that the societal characteristics seem to play a much more important...

Flying insect populations have decreased by more than 75 percent in some parts of the world. 

A new study, conducted by ecologists from <a href="http://www.ru.nl/english/">Radboud University</a> in the Netherlands along with German and English researchers, found that insect biomass has drastically reduced at a rate far worse than previously predicted. 

The study was published in the journal PLoS ONE. 

Researchers collected <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fragile-insects-heat-reproduction/">insect</a> data over 27 years in 63 different locations in nature reserves in Germany. The researchers analyzed the data to calculate the biomass or number of insects living in those areas. 

The results of the study show that there is a 76 percent decline in insect numbers, even in protected reserves where population decline is supposed to be mitigated. 

“All these areas are protected, and most of them are managed nature reserves. Yet, this dramatic decline has occurred,” said Caspar Hallmann, one of the project researchers who performed the statistical analyses. 

The researchers are not sure what has caused this drastic decline, but the drop in numbers is cause for serious concern. 

Researchers tried to pinpoint what could have been the catalyst for the population decline, but changes in weather and landscape did not seem to have any impact on the results. 

The results are not independent of German nature reserves, as the researchers suspect that the agriculture makeup used to keep nature reserves enclosed might have something to do with the decline.

“The research areas are mostly small and enclosed by agricultural areas. These surrounding areas inflict flying insects, and they cannot survive there. It is possible that these areas act as an 'ecological trap' and jeopardize the populations in the nature reserves,” said Hallmann. 

Insects are an important part of the ecosystem, and any drastic drops in population could have an adverse affect on the health and survival of other species in surrounding areas. 

Although the cause of the decline is unknown, the researchers say conservation is extremely important. 

“The only thing we can do right now is to maintain the utmost caution. We need to do less of the things that we know have a negative impact, such as the use of pesticides and prevent the disappearance of farmland borders full of flowers. But we also have to work hard at extending our nature reserves and decreasing the ratio of reserves that border agricultural areas,” said Hans de Kroon, the leader of the project. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

75 percent of insects lost in protected nature reserves

Flying insect populations have decreased by more than 75 percent...

A new mathematical method has been introduced by researchers to show how abundant rare species and biodiversity are in different tropical ecosystems.

Tropical forests are now in a “critical state,” where losing rare tree species could throw the ecosystem out of balance, jeopardizing more plants and animals. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://uoregon.edu/">University of Oregon</a>, the <a href="http://www.unipd.it/en/">University of Padova</a> in Italy, and the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> in the United Kingdom set out to map the biodiversity of tropical forests using a mathematical method. 

Their findings are published in the journal Science Advances. 

“We are losing species perhaps more rapidly than ever before. It is the biodiversity of the species that keeps our planet the way it is. These species have evolved over many, many millennia. A species once lost is gone forever,” said Jayanth R. Banavar, the senior vice president at the University of Oregon and one of the study's co-authors. 

The researchers created a method that expanded on the commonly held species abundance distribution equation or relative abundance distribution (RAD). 

The RAD is a log series that was first used to understand the abundance of a species of moth in Britain based on a small sample. 

However, trying to map the diversity or abundance of a certain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-forests-excess-carbon/">tropical tree</a> species using those same methods today may yield faulty results, which is why the researchers created a new framework. 

The new method finds the minimum number of sampling sizes needed in order to determine the abundance of rare trees across different forests. This system will be able to help quickly identify those species at risk of extinction. 

“We have developed a method that gives accurate estimates of the number of species and abundances present in the entire ecosystem,” said Banavar. 

The researchers tested their method using computer simulations and on data collected from 15 different tropical forests. The new method gave researchers a more accurate account of how many trees there were of a certain species in a forest. 

“This method allows us to understand both how fragile the biodiversity is and how many species we should be focusing on with conservation efforts. As caretakers of this planet, we want to nurture the species that we have, and we want to preserve life for the next generation,” said Banavar. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rare species are crucial to tropical forests

A new mathematical method has been introduced by researchers to...

A new study reveals that dogs are more expressive in an attempt to communicate and not just because they are excited. Researchers from the <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a> have found that dogs make more facial expressions when humans are looking at them.

The analysis is the first to provide clear evidence that dogs move their faces in direct response to people. Dr. Juliane Kaminski, an expert in dog cognition at the university, led the study.

"We can now be confident that the production of facial expressions made by dogs are dependent on the attention state of their audience and are not just a result of dogs being excited,” said Dr. Kaminski. “In our study they produced far more expressions when someone was watching, but seeing food treats did not have the same effect.”

The researchers evaluated 24 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reason-dogs-friendly-love/">dogs</a> of various breeds from ages one to 12, all of which were family pets. Each dog was secured a meter away from a person, and the dog's face was filmed during various exchanges. At times, the person’s body was oriented toward the dog, and at other times the person was turned away from the dog.

The researchers examined the dogs’ expressions using DogFACs, a coding system which measures facial changes linked to underlying muscle movement.

"DogFACS captures movements from all the different muscles in the canine face, many of which are capable of producing very subtle and brief facial movements,” explained co-author Bridget Waller. "FACS systems were originally developed for humans, but have since been modified for use with other animals such as primates and dogs."

The study revealed that the dogs created facial expressions in response to attention from people rather than as a result of their own emotional state, which has long been the assumption. Dr. Kaminski pointed out that dogs facial expressions may have changed over many years of domestication.

"Domestic dogs have a unique history - they have lived alongside humans for 30,000 years and during that time selection pressures seem to have acted on dogs' ability to communicate with us,” said Dr. Kaminski. "This study moves forward what we understand about dog cognition. We now know dogs make more facial expressions when the human is paying attention."

The research is published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dogs are more expressive when they know you’re looking

A new study reveals that dogs are more expressive in...

Have you ever wondered how mosquitoes get away with biting you so many times before you even notice? How a mosquito escapes undetected is crucial to their survival and the survival of any future offspring. 

A new collaborative study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.wur.nl/en/wageningen-university.htm">Wageningen University</a> in the Netherlands and the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/">University of California</a>, Berkeley examined mosquito escape techniques to see how these devious insects are so successful in sucking blood without being detected.

“Female mosquitoes need a blood meal to develop their eggs. One critical maneuver is the escape take-off after blood-feeding,” said Florian Muijres, one of the study’s researchers. 

Muiures, along with co-researchers Jeroen Spitzen and Sofia Chang, set out to see if the female mosquito employed any special tactics that allowed her to escape undetected. 

The team found that a quick take off is crucial to a quick escape, but a quieter and gentler approach would be more beneficial to remain undetected. 

With concerns about mosquito-transmitted diseases on the rise, especially after 2016’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosquitoes-zika-transmit-diseases/">Zika virus</a> outbreak, understanding more about how mosquitos feed and fly away is important to disease prevention. 

The researchers set up a series of experiments using cameras focused on the mosquito’s launch pad to see if there were any special maneuvers used during takeoff. 

The experiments showed that mosquitoes who had just finished feeding began beating their wings about 30 milliseconds before takeoff. 

The researchers also discovered that during this process, the mosquitos had a wingbeat frequency of 600 beats per second, much higher than the typical 200 beats found in other similar-sized insects. 

In order to evade detection, the mosquito pushed its long legs gently down to get enough momentum for takeoff while remaining undetected. 

The researchers then compared the mosquito’s take off to fruit flies to see if there were any similarities. The fruit fly exerted a force four times as strong as the mosquito did before takeoff, but mosquitoes have to be gentler since they’re sitting on human flesh.

The researchers hope to extend their study to other blood-sucking pests to see if they use the same maneuvers and strategies as the mosquito during takeoff. In the meantime, understanding more about these behaviors can help prevent mosquito-transmitted disease outbreaks.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

How mosquitoes can suck your blood without you noticing

Have you ever wondered how mosquitoes get away with biting...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-gas-emissions-100-companies/">greenhouse gas emissions</a> continue to warm the atmosphere, ocean waters will increase in temperature as well. But what does this mean for the future of all marine life?

A new study published in the journal Science Advances predicts that as waters warm, the distribution of marine life in tropical areas near the equator will shift.

The research is based off a survey conducted by the citizen science project Reef Life Survey (RLS) and represents the first global marine life survey with data gathered by scuba divers. 

According to the research, as ocean waters get warmer, fish that are superior predators in tropical areas will extend their reach further and further. This will, in turn, disrupt many existing natural ecosystems and reduce populations of crabs, lobsters, and sea urchins. 

Currently, there are large populations of fish in tropical regions that are balanced by large populations of invertebrates in colder waters. 

If the oceans continue to warm, that balance will shift, and fish that hunt in warm waters will easily be able to go beyond their natural hunting grounds in a process called “tropicalization.” 

“In South Eastern Australia and Tasmania the 'tropicalization' of marine life is already underway, but similar effects have not yet been detected in New Zealand,” said Graham Edgar, the study’s lead author, and the RLS founder. 

This trend is only projected to get worse as the effects of climate change are felt in increasing severity. 

“As fish extend their range further from the equator with warming water, their advantage as predators will affect the abundance and diversity of large mobile invertebrates. Broad changes will likely spread across the ecosystem, affecting human activities such as fishing,” said Edgar. 

To understand the full scope of how a warming climate will impact marine life across the globe, and to help hinder any drastic consequences, Edgar and his team call for ongoing monitoring. 

However, the team notes that surveying local marine life and instigating any necessary changes is only possible with cooperation from communities at local and regional levels. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Warming waters will alter the distribution of marine life

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to warm the atmosphere, ocean...

Bees may be the most important pollinators on our planet. They help a wide variety of trees and plants to grow and spread over great distances, benefiting our environment and the air we breathe. Because of that, efficiency in pollination is a key trait of these insects.

Recent research published by a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> and <a href="https://www.kew.org/">the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew</a>, as well as the <a href="http://ami.swiss/">Adolphe Merkele Institute</a> in Switzerland, has now discovered how bees are able to locate and pollinate certain flowers more efficiently. The researchers discovered that a number of common flower species have petals that contain nanoscale ridges, which scatter light particles in the blue to ultraviolet color spectrum. This creates a subtle effect that the scientists have termed the “blue halo.”

Studies have shown that many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blooming-seasons-bad-bees/">bee species</a> have a preference for colors within the violet-blue range, but plants do not always have the ability to produce blue pigments. So to adapt, some flowers produce petals that contain these nanostructures that produce this blue halo to attract pollinating insects.

When they looked even closer, the researchers found that even though these nanostructures in different species all produce this blue halo, they vary significantly in their height, width, and spacing. Furthermore, even on just a single flower petal, the light-manipulating structures can be greatly irregular. Physicists describe this phenomenon as “disorder.”

“We had always assumed that the disorder we saw in our petal surfaces was just an accidental by-product of life - that flowers couldn’t do any better,” said senior author Beverley Glover, plant scientist and director of <a href="http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/Botanic/Home.aspx">Cambridge’s Botanic Garden</a>. “It came as a real surprise to discover that the disorder itself is what generates the important optical signal that allows bees to find the flowers more effectively.”

The researchers believe that these “messy” petal nanostructures probably evolved independently numerous times across different flowering plant species, but all resulted in the same blue halo effect that increases visibility to pollinators – a process known as “convergent evolution.” They found several examples of halo-producing petals among the two major flower groups (eudicots and monocots) that emerged over 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. This arrival coincides with the early evolution of flower-visiting insects, especially nectar-sucking bees.

“Our findings suggest the petal ridges that produce ‘blue halos’ evolved many times across different flower lineages, all converging on this optical signal for pollinators,” says Glover.

Besides the continued interest in the history and developmental biology of these novel structures, the researchers believe that these findings may lead to the development of surfaces that are more visible to pollinators.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Edwige Moyroud

Flower petals form a blue halo shape to attract bees

Bees may be the most important pollinators on our planet....

Imagine what the world must look like to an animal 1/100th your size. It’s not always easy being the little guy, but what some tiny animals lack in size they make up for in other skill sets. <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> brings you 10 of the smallest animals on earth.

The smallest fish on earth is the PAEDOCYPRIS (Paedocypris progenetica). Their transparent bodies average 7.9mm (0.31 in) in length. They are found in peat swamps of the Southeast Asian islands Sumatra, Borneo, and Bintan. Paedocypris are currently endangered and may be extinct by the year 2040 because of destruction of peatlands by fire and drainage of peat swamps in their native area. 

The SLENDER BLIND SNAKE or THREAD SNAKE (Leptotyphlopidae) rarely exceeds 30 cm (just under 12 inches) in length. They are found in southwestern North America, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, in habitats that range from arid areas to rainforests. With no teeth in upper jaw, this burrowing snake feeds mostly on ants and termites by sucking the contents of insect bodies and discarding the exoskeleton.

The BEE HUMMINGBIRD is also known in native Cuba as ZUNZUNCITO (Mellisuga Helenae). At 5.7 centimeters (2.24 inches) in length and 1.7 grams (0.06 ounces), the world’s smallest bird is hardly larger than a bee. While the Bee hummingbird flies from flower to flower, it transfers pollen, it feeds primarily on nectar and the the occasional spider or insect. 

The SPECKLED PADLOPER also known as SPECKLED TORTOISE or SPECKLED CAPE TORTOISE (Homopus signatus) is native to South Africa and Southern Namibia. Males have an average body length of 7 centimeters  (2.75 inches) while females average 10 centimeters (3.9 inches). They are known to have orange-brown flattened shells with slightly serrated edges and hundreds of black spots. And unlike most of its relatives, the speckled padloper has five toes on its forefeet, instead of four.

ETRUSCAN PYGMY SHREW or WHITE-TOOTHED PYGMY SHREW (Suncus etruscus) weighs in at about 1.8 grams (0.063 ounces) and averages 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) in length excluding the tail. Known as the smallest mammal by mass, the pygmy shrew has an incredibly fast metabolism and eats 1.5 to 2 times its body weight each day. They are  native to warm, damp climates in Europe, North Africa and Malaysia.

PAEDOPHRYNE AMAUENSIS doesn’t have a layman name yet, but it is a species of frogs discovered in Papua New Guinea in 2009 and officially described at the start of 2012. At 7.7 millimeters (0.3 inches), it is considered the world’s smallest known vertebrate. They live in the leaf litter of tropical forests.

MADAME BERTHE’S MOUSE LEMUR (Microcebus berthae) can be found in the Kirindy Forest in western Madagascar. With an average body length of 9.2 centimeters (3.6 inches) and weight about 30 grams (just over 1 ounce), Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur is the smallest primate in the world. The species was discovered in 1992 and named after the conservationist and primatologist Berthe Rakotosaminanana.

The HOG-NOSED BAT also known as the BUMBLEBEE BAT (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) can be found in western Thailand and southeast Myanmar, dwelling inside limestone caves along rivers. Technically the smallest mammal at 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) long with a 12.7 centimeter (5 inch) wingspan, the hog-nosed bat is likely at risk of extinction due primarily to habitat degradation and disturbance of roosting sites.

The PYGMY MARMOSET MONKEY (Cebuella pygmaea) is native to the rainforests of the western Amazon Basin in South America. With an average weight of 100 grams (3.5 ounces) and an average head-body length of 13.4 centimeters (around 5.3 inches), it is the smallest monkey in the world. The pygmy marmoset can rotate its head 180 degrees and feeds on tree gum.

The ROYAL ANTELOPE (Neotragus pygmaeus) is around 25 centimeters  (10 inches) tall at the shoulder and weighs around 2.7 kilograms (just under 6 pounds). This West African monogamous nocturnal herbivore marks its territory with dung and is sexually mature after six months. 

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Darryl Joseph</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

10 of the smallest animals on Earth

Imagine what the world must look like to an animal...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-penguins-catastrophe/">we reported</a> this weekend, a colony of Adelie penguins in the Antarctic suffered yet another breeding season disaster. The colony of about 36,000 penguins lost all but two of its chicks because they were left for too long as their parents had to forage farther distances to get food. 

As a result, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has called for the creation of a massive marine sanctuary to protect native animals from the nearby fishing grounds.

French and Australian policy makers are also pushing for a large marine sanctuary in East Antarctica to protect against further native species population depletion.

The plan is to create protected zones that would ban any fishing, keeping the area intact and conserving the animals who depend on those waters for survival.

Researchers also depend on these marine ecosystems to better understand how climate change is affecting oceans and wildlife. 

The <a href="https://www.ccamlr.org/">Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources</a> (CCAMLR) is an organization that oversees conservation efforts in the Antarctic Ocean. In order for the proposed marine sanctuary to get the go-ahead, there must be a unanimous agreement among all 24 member countries.

A marine sanctuary in the Antarctic would stop fish reserves from being over-harvested and allow penguins and other animals to thrive with sufficient food sources. At the very least, the reserve would help stop these populations from further depletion. 

“The death of so many Adélie penguin chicks shows just how tough life can be in Antarctica. The last thing these penguins need is more pressure. That's why it's crucial CCAMLR locks in an MPA in East Antarctica to help secure a future for Adélie penguins and all the other amazing wildlife and marine biodiversity,” said Chris Johnson, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:World_Wide_Fund_for_Nature">World Wide Fund for Nature</a> Antarctic program manager.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Antarctic marine sanctuary proposed after devastating animal loss

As we reported this weekend, a colony of Adelie penguins...

Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions, but there is still no cure to slow or stop the progression of deteriorating neurons in the brain and spinal cord. According to the <a href="https://neurodiscovery.harvard.edu/challenge">Harvard Neurodiscovery Center</a>, 5 million Americans currently suffer from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extra-virgin-olive-oil-protects-brain/">Alzheimer's</a>, 1 million have Parkinson's, and 400,000 have multiple sclerosis. 

Those numbers are predicted to continue to climb as the population ages, and as many as one in five Americans could be diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease by 2030. 

But now, a new study from the <a href="https://uiowa.edu/icru/">University of Iowa</a> demonstrates how roundworms may offer new solutions to help ward off neurodegenerative diseases. 

The research was published in the journal Science Signaling and focused on a defense mechanism known as the heat shock response that protects the body’s cells from stressors.

When exposed to stressors like changes in temperature, the body begins production of a protein that repairs and removes damaged proteins to keep the cell healthy. 

The researchers tested the roundworm's heat shock response by exposing a group of roundworms to the scent of a lethal bacterium and another group to the scent of a benign bacterium. 

The roundworms subjected to the dangerous scent were able to prime their defenses, and when put in contact with the bacterium, lived longer than those worms who weren’t primed for the odor. 

The study theorizes that it may be possible to prime this defense in humans so that it is “on guard” against neurodegenerative disease, the same way the worms were primed against the deadly bacterium through smell. 

The key, according to Veena Prahlad, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Iowa and corresponding author on the paper, is the protein HSF1, or the heat shock transcription factor. 

HFS1 is important in guarding against protein damage in neurons, but it was thought only to be activated after there was an overload of damaged proteins in cells. 

Prahlad hypothesized that HSF1 could be put on “standby” and activated quickly in response to damaged proteins, and tested this by exposing roundworms to the smell of a lethal bacterium. 

The promising results of the study show that it may be possible to prime humans for a quick defense against neurodegenerative diseases. 

“Theoretically, it should be possible to treat these types of diseases if we can figure out how to stimulate that defense mechanism in people and have it activated more consistently to fix damaged cells. We'd need to find the same sensory triggers in humans as we have demonstrated in worms,” said Prahlad. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Roundworms may hold the key to protection against Alzheimer’s

Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions, but there is still no cure...

Across the globe, overhunting in tropical forests has led to widespread biodiversity loss. But according to new research, sustainable subsistence hunting by Amazonian communities does not pose a severe threat to the surrounding forests.

The study, performed by researchers at the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia </a>(UAE), explored any lasting impact of hunting by communities that are only looking to to support themselves at micro, local levels. 

Elsewhere, overhunting has resulted in devastating species loss and the creation of “empty forests.”

"Understanding the impacts of subsistence hunting in tropical forests is crucial not only to safeguard the world's most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems but also to secure a sustainable future for forest-dependent communities,” said Dr. Mark Abrahams, from UEA's School of Environmental Sciences and the lead author. 

The results of the study showed that in areas where communities depended on large forests in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/illegal-activity-brazilian-amazon/">Amazon</a> with access to abundant fish stocks, subsistent hunters were not emptying, or overhunting their forests. 

The researchers used 383 motion-activated trail cameras and conducted 78 interviews with subsistence hunters in the Juruá and Uatumã regions of Amazonas, Brazil to find out what impact these communities had on the local ecosystem. 

The researchers made several key discoveries. First, they found that larger animals were depleted near Amazonian communities, and the biomass of entire species had been reduced. But in areas with high forest cover and alternative sources of protein like fish, hunters did not deplete game populations nearby. 

“Our results imply that conservationists can be cautiously optimistic about the prospect of sustainable subsistence hunting by Amazonian communities. Small communities, living in large areas of intact forest and with access to healthy stocks of fish, do not appear to be emptying their forests,” said Abrahams. 

However, the researchers note the results still show depleted levels of larger species including primates and bigger game, species that play an important role in biodiversity and maintaining the ecosystem. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Local Amazonian subsistence hunters are not emptying forests

Across the globe, overhunting in tropical forests has led to...

A study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> may give new insight into the disappearance of ancient kangaroos. The researchers found evidence that an extinct species of kangaroos known as fanged kangaroos survived millions of years longer than previously thought. 

Fanged kangaroos, also known as balbarids, were thought to have died out approximately 15 million years ago, but a new analysis reveals that fanged kangaroos were still around as recently as 10 million years ago. The research team used fossil evidence to investigate the various species of fanged kangaroos, their body size, and the timing of their extinction.

Kaylene Butler is a PhD student at the University of Queensland School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

"Currently, we can only hypothesize as to why balbarids became extinct - the original hypothesis related to events during a change in climate 15 million years ago but the balbarids persisted past that," said Butler. "This new finding of their persistence until 10 million years ago means something else must have been at play, such as being outcompeted by other species."

The balbaroo fangaroo is an ancient balbarid which was found to be around the size of a wallaby. This fanged creature was identified from a fossilized skull found at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Northern Australia, which is also the origin of the fossils examined for the current study. These fossil deposits, which are held at the Queensland Museum, date back 25 million years.

"Fanged kangaroos and the potential ancestors of modern kangaroos are both browsers - meaning they ate leaves - and they scurried, but did not hop," said Butler. "There is a lot of research to be done before we can be sure what their canine teeth were used for but some have suggested they were used to attract potential mates. We do know that despite their large canines they were herbivorous.”

The researchers determined that the fanged kangaroos increased in body size right up until they vanished. While their body mass was growing, however, the diversity of their species was shrinking. 

Butler said the study may help experts establish a more detailed timeline of kangaroo evolution. Furthermore, understanding what caused the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/largest-smallest-animals-extinction/">extinction</a> of the fanged kangaroo species could help save other macropod species from vanishing forever.

"Currently 21 macropod species are listed as vulnerable or endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species," said Butler.

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00310182">Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The extinction of fanged kangaroos could save other species

A study from the University of Queensland may give new...

Tightly knit families and groups of friends. Alliances toward specific goals. Teaching each other hunting techniques. If these sound like human behaviors to you, you’re not wrong – but they’re not. Whales and dolphins form human-like societies with complex relationships and culture, according to marine biologists.

In a new study, scientists found that Cetaceans generally have intricate societies complete with social play, transfer of knowledge, and even “dialects” in their vocal communication. Some of the whistles and chirps common in whale and dolphin song may even be names, the biologists said.

More complex societies appear to be linked to brain size in proportion to the whales’ or dolphins’ bodies, they said.

Humans have long known that whales and dolphins have elaborate cultures, said Dr. Susanne Shultz, an evolutionary biologist at the <a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/">University of Manchester</a>. But the insight into their behaviors and how they influence whales’ and dolphins’ human-like societies has added a new layer to the understanding of how intelligence evolves.

"That means the apparent co-evolution of brains, social structure, and behavioural richness of marine mammals provides a unique and striking parallel to the large brains and hyper-sociality of humans and other primates on land,” Shultz said. “Unfortunately, they won't ever mimic our great metropolises and technologies because they didn't evolve opposable thumbs."

The team, from the University of Manchester, <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>, the <a href="http://www.lse.ac.uk/">London School of Economics and Political Science</a>, and the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a>, gathered information about 90 different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. With that information, they created a database documenting cooperative behaviors and other aspects of the Cetaceans’ social structures.

They used the datasets to test evolutionary hypotheses about the social brain and cultural brain, two ideas proposed to explain the evolution of human society and intelligence in other land mammals.

The team of researchers found that the theories appear to apply to marine mammals as well.

 "This research isn't just about looking at the intelligence of whales and dolphins; it also has important anthropological ramifications as well,” said Dr. Michael Muthukrishna of the London School of Economics and Political Science. “In order to move toward a more general theory of human behaviour, we need to understand what makes humans so different from other animals. And to do this, we need a control group. Compared to primates, cetaceans are a more ‘alien’ control group.”

The research may also offer clues into how certain behaviors crop up in some animals but not others – especially as Cetacean brain structures are not very similar to those of land mammals.

Those different brain structures led some scientists to theorize that dolphins and whales couldn’t develop higher cognitive skills, let alone human-like societies, said Dr. Kieran Fox of Stanford.

“I think our research shows that this is clearly not the case,” he said. “Instead, a new question emerges: How can very diverse patterns of brain structure in very different species nonetheless give rise to highly similar cognitive and social behaviors?"

The team’s study has been published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0336-y">Nature Ecology and Evolution</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Scientists: whales and dolphins form human-like societies

Tightly knit families and groups of friends. Alliances toward specific...

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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?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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...