Plastic pollution has long been a concern in oceans, rivers, and soil, but a new study reveals its presence in an unexpected place - the lungs of birds.



Tiny plastic particles drifting through the air are making their way into the respiratory systems of birds, raising concerns about how deeply plastic contamination has infiltrated ecosystems.



The study, conducted by researchers at the <a href="https://www.uta.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Texas</a> at Arlington, highlights how widespread <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-plastics-linked-to-disability-risks-for-coastal-residents/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microplastics</a> have become in the environment. 



Scientists have been increasingly worried about the impact of these pollutants, not just on wildlife but also on human health.



The air people breathe and the food they consume may contain more plastic than previously thought.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birds-as-living-environmental-sensors">Birds as living environmental sensors</h2>



Shane DuBay, an assistant professor of biology at UTA and co-author of the study, explained why birds were chosen for the research. 



"Birds serve as important indicators of environmental conditions," said Professor DuBay. "They help us understand the state of the environment and make informed decisions about conservation and pollution control."



Birds live everywhere, from busy cities to quiet forests, so they are useful for studying pollution. Since they travel long distances, scientists can see how pollution spreads across different areas.



Birds share many spaces with humans, which means that their exposure to airborne <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-treaty-is-a-historic-opportunity-to-stop-a-human-health-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microplastics</a> may indicate similar risks for people.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-contamination-in-bird-lungs">Plastic contamination in bird lungs</h2>



To understand the extent of plastic contamination in bird lungs, the researchers examined 56 wild birds from 51 different species.



All specimens came from the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in western China. The location provided a controlled setting where birds from various backgrounds interacted with human-made environments.



Scientists extracted lung samples and performed chemical tests to detect microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics. One method, laser direct infrared technology, helped count microplastic particles lodged in the lung tissue. 



Another method, pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, identified nanoplastics that could enter the bloodstream through inhalation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shocking-levels-of-plastic-detected">Shocking levels of plastic detected</h2>



The results of the study were alarming. Scientists found large amounts of tiny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-changing-the-entire-earth-system/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastic particles</a>, known as microplastics, inside the lungs of birds.



On average, each bird species had about 221 plastic particles in their lungs. When measured by weight, the researchers found 416 plastic particles per gram of lung tissue. The most common types of plastic were chlorinated polyethylene, used for coating wires and pipes, and butadiene rubber, which is found in car tires.



This means plastic is not just polluting water and soil - it is also floating in the air. If birds are breathing in these tiny plastic pieces, it raises concerns about what might be happening to humans.



People live in the same environments as birds, especially in cities. If birds are inhaling plastic, humans likely are too - without even knowing it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risks-of-airborne-plastic-in-birds">Risks of airborne plastic in birds</h2>



There is no set rule for how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-interlinked-crisis-of-plastic-pollution-and-global-warming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastic</a> in the lungs is considered safe. However, past research has shown that breathing in tiny plastic particles may cause serious health problems.



Scientists think inhaling plastic could lead to lung diseases, heart problems, and even cancer. Persistent exposure to plastic might also affect fertility and weaken the immune system.



Once plastic gets inside the body, it can build up in tissues, possibly causing long-term damage or inflammation. Some plastics also contain harmful chemicals that could interfere with how the body works.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-plastic-crisis">Growing plastic crisis</h2>



Professor DuBay emphasized the urgent need to combat plastic pollution before it causes irreversible damage.



"Our research highlights an urgent need to address plastic pollution in our environments, as these contaminants can have far-reaching impacts on ecosystem health, as well as human health," he said.



The study makes one thing clear - plastic waste isn’t just piling up in landfills or floating in the ocean. It’s in the air, drifting unseen, finding its way into the lungs of both birds and humans. Cutting back on plastic pollution is no longer just an environmental goal - it’s an urgent necessity.



Scientists need more research, more funding, more answers. How much plastic is truly in the air? What long-term damage does it cause? Until these questions are answered, the best step forward is simple: stop the spread before it gets worse.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389425001864?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Hazardous Materials</a>.



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Birds are breathing in plastic - what does that mean for us?

Plastic pollution has long been a concern in oceans, rivers, and soil, but a new study reveals its presence in an unexpected place - the lungs of birds. Tiny plastic particles drifting through the air are making their way into the respiratory systems of birds, raising concerns about how deeply plastic contamination has infiltrated ecosystems. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington, highlights how widespread microplastics have become in the environment. Scientists have been increasingly worried about the impact of these pollutants,...

What female fish want was revealed in a new study from scientists at the <a href="https://le.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Leicester</a>.

What do female fish want in a mate? Sticklebacks look for males who can design and build the nests that fit the environment they live in, researchers wrote in a new study.

The scientists studied how varying oxygen levels in water affect how male three-spined stickleback fish build their nests, finding it can also affect how females of the species choose their mates.

They found that when oxygen levels in their environment change, the male sticklebacks – which do all of the parenting for the species' eggs and young fish – build nests that are looser or tighter. Females prefer to spawn in tighter nests when oxygen levels are high, or looser ones when the water has low levels of oxygen.

Since the males fan water through the nests with their fins, this means eggs in looser nests get more oxygen when water levels are low, the study authors said. This lets the eggs develop normally when oxygen is low, but could also expose them to more predators, they said. 

The study is an interesting look into how low oxygen in the water – which can be caused by modern environmental issues like rising water temperatures due to climate change and massive algae blooms – affects fish, and how fish are adapting to their changing environment. 

The most interesting finding, according to the scientists, was that changes in water oxygen levels didn't just affect how male sticklebacks built their nests, but which males the female sticklebacks preferred.

Stickleback fish have been an excellent population for studying evolution. They were originally ocean fish – but because they are found in, and have evolved to succeed in, a wide range of saltwater and freshwater environments, scientists can study their adaptability to environmental changes as well as breed different varieties together to see which genes carry certain environmental adaptations. 

Sticklebacks’ adaptability may be what makes the fish better survivors when their conditions change, the authors concluded.

What female fish want revealed in stickleback study

What female fish want was revealed in a new study...

Whale songs revealed a whole new melody, researchers report.

Scientists from <a href="http://www.whoi.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> (WHOI) got a surprise during a recent study into humpback whale songs: there may be another whole layer to their music than was previously believed.

In an article in the Nov. 2 edition of <a href="http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biology Letters</a>, WHOI researchers explained that they were studying humpback whale songs in Hawaii while recording both pressure waves and particle motion. Pressure waves create the part of whale songs that humans can hear. Particle motion, however, creates vibrations similar to those a human might feel if the bass on a stereo is very loud.

Particle motion in whale songs hadn’t been studied before because it’s complicated to record, the underwater equipment needed wasn’t available to most researchers, and scientists expected it would only carry a few feet anyway.

However, the WHOI biologists had the equipment needed to record particle motion for an unrelated study, so they decided to use it with the whales. They traveled as far as 200 meters away from the whales – about 656 feet – and the particle motion was still strong, especially at the lower end of the whales’ vocal range.

The WHOI research team was unable to gather enough data to explore how or whether the pressure motion affected the whales’ communication, but did note that humpback whales’ ears are fused to their skulls, unlike most other marine mammals. This could allow them to sense the vibrations that particle motion would cause, adding a whole new layer of depth to their songs and perhaps helping them better “see” the underwater world around them.

It wouldn’t be a first among the animal kingdom, the biologists said, as both elephants and hippopotami have some degree of “vibrational hearing.”

The whales’ use of particle motion could also offer some explanation for why they and other underwater animals are so sensitive to sounds like underwater blasting and low-frequency active sonar.

Whale songs reveal new melody, researchers report

Whale songs revealed a whole new melody, researchers report. Scientists...

African striped mouse reveals his stripes in a report published in this week’s Nature. It was determined that the stripes found on the African striped mouse are due to a gene called Alx3.

Until recently, there had still been some mystery surrounding how are animal color patterns are determined. Dr. Hopi Hoekstra of Harvard University studies the development and evolution of stripe patterns in wild mice, because the stripes are most likely involved in mice’s defense from predators.

To figure out how African striped mice get their stripes, Hoekstra’s colleague Ricardo Mallarino studied how the stripes form during mouse embryogenesis. Dr. Mallarino observed that pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes failed to differentiate in the areas where the stripes were ultimately located. By failing to differentiate, the melanocytes cannot produce pigment, creating the lighter hair found in the stripes.

Using RNA sequencing, Mallarino and team compared the genes in the skin of the light-colored stripe and the skin of the areas with darker hair. They found that the gene Alx3 was highly present in the light stripe but not the skin with darker hair. “It looks like what happened,” Hoekstra explained, “is that Alx3 has been co-opted from its role in making light-colored bellies, and now it’s expressed where the stripe is going to form.”

To find out exactly how Alx3 affects mouse hair color, the team used protein-DNA binding assays. They found that when Alx3 binds to the promoter, it represses MITF, a regulator of melanocyte differentiation. Then, to see if this Alx3 effect occurred in other species as well, the team studied the North American chipmunk. Surely enough, the skin of the chipmunk showed a very similar Alx3 expression as was found on the African striped mouse.

“The next step is to figure out what controls Alx3 expression,” said Mallarino. 

“Can you just tinker with where and when Alx3 is expressed to generation a diversity of striping patterns? We don’t know the answer but it’s something we are excited about,” reported Hoekstra.

African striped mouse reveals stripes due to newly discovered gene

African striped mouse reveals his stripes in a report published...

Honeybees threatened by disease from colony collapse disorder is bad news for beekeepers as 2015’s brief bump in honeybee populations didn’t last.

These afflictions carried by invasive species threaten global honeybee populations, a recent study reports. In 2015, USDA tracking of bee populations showed a big drop in the rates of colony collapse disorder (CCD) for the first time since 2006, after a slow rise in bee populations over several years. In the winter of 2014-15, hive loss dropped from an average of 28.7 percent to 23.1 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The exciting trend seemed to show that beekeepers were beginning to gain ground on CCD, a constellation of threats including mites, new diseases, pesticide poisoning and other stressors. CCD doubled the rate of commercial hive loss, wiping out about a third of beehives each year.

These efforts appeared to be paying off, but the threat of new diseases may be undoing progress. A new study has found honeybees threatened by disease caused by invasive species and spread by Varroa mites.

In Hawaii, an invasive social wasp has spread a new virus called Moku to honeybee populations through parasitic Varroa mites. Moku is closely related to slow bee paralysis, researchers have found.

Purnima Pachori of the Earlham Institute used bioinformatics technology to separate the virus’ genetic code from the host, isolating it in the wasps, honeybees and Varroa mites. Gideon Mordecai of the Marine Biological Association identified the virus.

The researchers say discovery of the virus that is potentially dangerous to bees underlines the need to check invasive species carefully for viruses and illnesses that could threaten native species. That way, new viruses can be monitored and controlled before they spread beyond the host species and threaten pollinators or other species that are vital to the ecosystem.

While Moku was so far found only in Hawaiian honeybee populations, it’s yet another threat to bees that are again in sharp decline all over the U.S. Between April 2015 and April 2016, beekeepers reported a huge spike in hive loss – an average of 44 percent, according to the annual USDA and Apiary Inspectors of America survey. They also reported that summer losses matched winter hive collapse, a dangerous new trend.

Varroa mite infestations – the parasite identified as the probable carrier of Moku between wasps and honeybees – are the probable cause of most of the hive losses in that time, survey organizers believe.

Honeybees threatened by disease again, study reports

Honeybees threatened by disease from colony collapse disorder is bad news for beekeepers...

Donkey symposium reveals their continued plight.

Caregivers gathered in New York for several days last month for their annual donkey symposium. Vets, nonprofits, and academics addressed ways to care for and improve the lives of these friendly creatures. Sadly, the status of donkeys, who were once worshipped by Egyptian Kings, has diminished over the years.

Dr. Eric Davis, a veterinarian from the University of California, created the annual event to shed light on the mistreatment of donkeys worldwide and to build an international organization of donkey carers. Davis is a donkey activist, travelling with a band of merry vets to treat these creatures in areas where care would otherwise be unavailable.

Nigerian veterinarian Dr. Philip Mshelia spoke about the mistreatment of donkeys in Africa. There are no regulations regarding their slaughter, with tens of thousands donkeys perishing each year to produce a gelatinous substance used in Chinese medicines. However, Dr. Mshelia did report some good news: Burkina Faso and Niger banned donkey exportation earlier this year.

Donkeys have many friends in the U.S. and Britain, who lead the way in donkey protection. The Donkey Sanctuary in England is one of the most famous welfare groups. They work globally to rescue and retire working or abused donkeys and have been doing so for over 40 years. By 2018, they hope to be operational in 40 countries and double the number of donkeys in their care to 3000.

At the conference, Dr. Davis spoke of the continued plight of the donkeys and his fears for their future. As developing countries become more affluent, they may turn away from their four-legged friends and towards motorized vehicles. If they do, we may see history repeating itself as it did at the turn of the last century, when people slaughtered their horses in favour of mechanical vehicles. Dr. Davis hopes donkey lovers will help mitigate the risks for donkey populations – if they absolutely must lessen – by assuring their deaths are as humane as possible.

—

Learn more about the symposium <a href="http://donkeywelfaresymposium.com/">here.</a> Support The Donkey Sanctuary <a href="https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/">here</a>.

Donkey symposium reveals their continued plight

Donkey symposium reveals their continued plight. Caregivers gathered in New...

African Elephant poaching costs the continent greatly, according to a new study.

Poachers kill between 20,000 and 30,000 elephants in Africa every year. But their gain – payment for illegally collected ivory from crime syndicates seeking to meet Asian demand – is Africa’s national loss, a new study shows.

It’s a big loss, too: experts say the continent is losing around $25 million (USD) per year in lost tourism revenues. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that the financial cost of cracking down on poaching  in several African regions is lower than the loss of visitors and their money.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Robin Naidoo of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), pointed out there are moral reasons to protest the poaching of elephants. However, not everyone feels they have an ethical responsibility toward Africa’s elephants, he said. This study shows it’s not just a moral concern for the African countries where elephants live, but also a financial one.

Though the researchers were aware parks tend to report lower tourism when poaching is a problem, this is the first attempt to calculate just how much of a negative impact on tourism poaching has, the researchers said.

Dr. Brendan Fisher, economist at the University of Vermont, summed it up in simple numbers: for every dollar spent to prevent poaching, parks in East Africa could expect to get about $1.78 back. The western and southern parts of the continent could also see their investment in elephant protection pay off, Fisher said.

However, similar returns were not seen in central Africa, the researchers said.

African elephant poaching has been a major problem since the late 1970s, and the animals have been classified as “threatened” by the Endangered Species Act since 1978. It’s estimated that over the past 10 years, African elephant populations have declined by over 20 percent.

The study was conducted by scientists from the University of Vermont, the University of Cambridge and the WWF.

African elephant poaching costs the continent greatly

African Elephant poaching costs the continent greatly, according to a...

Chimpanzee stress could be caused by loneliness: social chimps are much more chill and happy.

Chimpanzees are one of mankind’s closest relatives, but we may have even more in common with our distant, hairy relatives than had previously been thought. 

A new study revealed that the simians release fewer chimpanzee stress hormones after having interacted with other chimps – they are happiest when they are up to monkey business with their pals.

“The social relationships amongst chimpanzees are fairly similar to the ones among humans,” said Dr. Roman Wittig of the <a href="http://www.eva.mpg.de/index.html" target="_blank">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a>. “Therefore, chimpanzees can help us to learn how friends can help to buffer stress in humans.”

Dr. Wittig and his team studied how chimpanzees responded after a stressful event, such as encounters with an enemy chimp. They recorded the levels of glucocorticoid, a stress-related hormone, in a population of chimpanzees following grooming, rest, and a stressful experience.

The study found that if a chimp interacted with a friend during the stressful event, the glucocorticoid levels did not rise. Stress hormones were also lower after a grooming session than they were during a period of rest. 

Because chimpanzees and humans are so closely related, studies such as these can help shed light on how humans respond chemically to stress. Such information can also lead to better coping strategies for managing stress.

Chimpanzee stress can be caused by loneliness

Chimpanzee stress could be caused by loneliness: social chimps are...

Pygmy moth species detailed in new report.

Today a team of scientists published three interlinked scientific articles together with two online databases, providing a catalogue with the names of all the species of pygmy moth.

Today there are more than 1050 known species of pygmy moths. The leaf-mining pygmy moth and the white eyecap moth are known for the patterns their caterpillars leave behind, known as leaf mines. Following DNA analysis on the evolutionary relationships of more than 1000 pygmy moth species, a new classification has been created.

A team of scientists led by Dr. Erik J. van Nieukerken and Dr. Camiel Doorenweerd of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands published three reports in the journal Systematic Entomology that includes a catalogue of all pygmy moth species.

Their study found the presence of leaf mines in fossil leaves, indicating that pygmy moths started to diversify over 100 million years ago. Three new genera were discovered in South and Central America.

In order to change a classification, many species names must also be modified. As such, the team published a full catalogue of all the species names along with the various synonymic names that have been used in the past 150 years.

Pygmy moth species detailed in new report

Pygmy moth species detailed in new report. Today a team...

Jumping spiders are not deaf – reports of their deafness have been greatly exaggerated.

It turns out you don’t need ears to hear sound, after all – that is, if you’re a jumping spider.

Spiders have long been known for their excellent eyesight and precise ability to feel vibration. Until recently, it had been thought that spiders use these two super-senses to compensate for a complete lack of hearing. After all, they don’t have ears or eardrums.

However, a recent study on jumping spiders has proven otherwise. A research team led by Dr. Ron Miles of Binghamton University conducted a series of experiments on jumping spiders, which comprise 13% of all spiders worldwide. Their findings show jumping spiders can actually sense airborne sounds.

During the experiment, the team implanted electrodes in the sound-sending parts of the spider’s brain. The spider was then placed in a metal box where scientists played sounds at the same frequency as the Mud Dauber wasp, a predator of the jumping spider. Over and over, the spiders froze in response to the threat, and “listened” for the next move of the predator.

As Miles pointed out, the team had to “make sure that the vibrations were too small to influence the results and the anechoic chamber, one of the quietest places on Earth, was the perfect place to test that.”

The team found that the jumping spiders had brain responses to sounds between 80 and 380 Hertz at 65 decibels from distances of 10 feet or more. This would be the equivalent of the noise level at a small cocktail party.

Scientists are still unsure exactly how the spiders are able to sense and process airborne sound. But for now, the vicious rumor that all spiders are deaf has finally been proven false.

Jumping spiders hear without ears

Jumping spiders are not deaf – reports of their deafness...

Scientists baffled by big cat brain research – as usual cats do exactly the opposite of what you expect.

Cats, the elusive, ornery species as famous for their grace as their characteristic nonconformity, are baffling researchers once again.

It has been reported in a study today that the brains of wild cats evolve in very different ways to fellow mammals.

Dr. Sharleen Sakai, neuroscientist at Michigan State University, led the study which suggests many factors influencing carnivores’ brain anatomy, beyond socialization. She commented, “Studying feline brain evolution has been a bit like herding cats – our findings suggest the factors that drive brain evolution in wild cats are likely to differ from selection pressures identified in primate brain evolution.”

Scientists believe that mammals who possess large frontal lobes are social creatures, which include humans and monkeys. However, in direct contradiction to this theory, cheetahs are also highly socialized, but their frontal lobes are relatively small, while leopards are solitary hunters and yet their frontal lobes are enlarged.

Dr. Sakai and her team obtained 75 wild feline skulls representing 13 species from museum collections. The researchers used CT scans and sophisticated software to digitally "fill in" the areas where the brains would have been present. By doing this, they could determine brain volume.

Dr. Sakai's big cat brain research is attempting to understand factors which influence carnivore brain evolution. It is a common belief that making and retaining relationships is more demanding than solitary living and hence requires a larger brain.

"We wanted to know if this idea, called the 'social brain' hypothesis, applied to other social mammals, especially carnivores and, in particular, wild cats," Dr. Sakai explained.

Her team's big cat brain research included 13 wild feline species, 11 of which were solitary and two social. They made some surprising discoveries from this data:
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Overall brain size did not differ between the social and solitary species of wild cats – but the part of the brain that includes the frontal cortex did differ between them.</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">The female lion had the largest frontal cortex; female lions are highly social, working together to protect and feed their young, hunt large prey, and defend their territory. In contrast, males may live alone and may be dominant in a pride for only a few years. The larger frontal cortex in females compared to male lions and the other wild cats may reflect lionesses' demands for processing the social information necessary for life in the pride.</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">The social cheetahs, in contrast, had the smallest overall brains and the smallest frontal cortex of the wild cats. Small brains weigh less and require less energy, factors that might contribute to the cheetah's remarkable running speeds. "Cheetah brain anatomy is distinctive and differs from other wild cats," Dr. Sakai described. "The size and shape of its brain may be a consequence of its unusual skull shape, an adaptation for high-speed pursuits."</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Leopards' frontal lobes were relatively large. Although the leopard is solitary, it is noted for its flexibility and adaptability – behaviors associated with enhanced brain processing and larger brain size in other species.</li>
</ul>
—

The full study can be read over at <a href="http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnana.2016.00099/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frontiers in Neuroanatomy</a>.

Big cat brain research baffles scientists

Scientists baffled by big cat brain research – as usual...

UK butterflies dying in warm winters: a new report highlights concerns for UK butterfly population.

Warm winters are terrible for butterflies dying populations, experts revealed today.

The beautiful insects emerge too early from their pupae, limiting their chances of survival. The research was conducted by the University of East Anglia for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and demonstrated that extreme weather conditions are creating havoc for the butterfly populations. The yo-yoing weather scenarios created by climate change are much more damaging for our insect friends than moderate temperature increases.

Warm summers may boost butterfly population, while warm winters confuse the natural development of pupae and cause early hatching. Researchers collected data from more than 1800 sites in the UK over the past 37 years. Sadly, extremely heavy rainfall last year affected more than a quarter of the UK butterfly population.

Study co-author Dr. Aldina Franco from the University of East Anglia said: “Although the summer was warm, the number of butterflies counted was particularly low. For example, recent low counts of gatekeeper, common blue, comma, peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies could be . . . due to their negative response to warm winters.”

Lead author Osgur McDermott-Long commented, “The study has demonstrated previously unknown sensitivities of our butterflies to extreme climatic events, which are becoming more frequent with climate change . . . . Some of these effects are undoubtedly putting future populations at risk, such as extremely warm winters.”

Dr. Tom Brereton from Butterfly Conservation, a co-author of the study, said: “If we are to mitigate against extreme events as part of conservation efforts, in particular, we need a better understanding of the habitat conditions which can lead to successful survival of adult, pupal and overwintering life stages of UK butterflies in these situations.”

—

You can read the news release over at <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/extreme-weather-effects-may-explain-recent-butterfly-decline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The University of East Anglia</a>.

Butterflies are dying in warm winters

UK butterflies dying in warm winters: a new report highlights...

Spawning sockeye salmon, Lake Aleknagik, Alaska, USA

Extinct giant salmon used their huge teeth as weapons, says new report.

Roughly 15 million years ago, Pacific coastal waters hosted a fascinating species of extinct giant salmon who boasted terrifying spike-like teeth. These extinct beasties were massive compared to the salmon we know and love today, reaching 9 feet in length and weighing up to 400 pounds. Their sharp teeth were over one inch long. 

California State University researchers have been studying these fish, revealing clues into their ancient lives.

Much like their modern cousin the Pacific salmon, giant salmon were presumed to be filter-feeders, meaning their teeth were not for hunting. As modern salmons encounter physical changes before migrating upriver to spawn, where males fight to defend their fertilized eggs, it was hypothesized that these extra-large teeth could be part of the mating ritual.

Dr. Julia Sankey led a team of researchers to compare 51 different fossils. The teeth of these salmon found in past freshwater environments consistently had longer teeth with much larger bases showing signs of wear. Fossil teeth found in saltwater deposits were much smaller and less worn, suggesting their teeth had changed before they migrated upriver.

These results prove the hypothesis. Researchers believe these gargantuan gnashers were used to intimidate and eventually fight any creatures who came near their fertilized eggs. "These giant, spike-toothed salmon were amazing fish. You can picture them getting scooped out of the Proto-Tuolumne River by large bears 5 million years ago," said Dr. Sankey. "Scientifically, our research on the giant salmon is filling in a gap in our knowledge about how these salmon lived, and specifically, if they developmentally changed prior to migration upriver like modern salmon do today.”

—

Dr. Sankey and colleagues presented their findings at this year's meeting of the <a href="http://vertpaleo.org/" target="_blank">Society of Vertebrate Paleontology</a> in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Extinct giant salmon used huge teeth as weapons

Extinct giant salmon used their huge teeth as weapons, says...

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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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" 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> (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



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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



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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



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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 



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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



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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



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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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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



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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



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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



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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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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



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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



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Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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

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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...

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