The forests and fields of North America hold secrets that even motion-sensitive cameras can't always reveal. Among those secrets are weasels - small, swift, and almost invisible to modern wildlife monitoring.



These elusive predators have slipped through digital traps for decades, making scientists wonder whether their silence signals absence or simply stealth.



It’s not just curiosity that drives this concern. Weasels, as small mustelids, play vital roles in ecosystems. They control rodent populations and serve as prey for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-wildlife-day-2025-a-global-call-to-protect-nature/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">larger animals</a>. 



Understanding where they thrive or vanish can reveal larger patterns of ecological change. But until recently, researchers lacked a clear method to study their population numbers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenge-of-monitoring-weasels">Challenge of monitoring weasels</h2>



Camera traps work well for large mammals. Deer, bears, and even coyotes often stroll past, triggering a flurry of images. But weasels are a different story. 



Their bodies are small and they move fast. They often live in habitats with thick cover, making them almost invisible, even when present.



Roland Kays is a research professor at <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Carolina State University</a> and scientist at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.



“We’re a little worried about the weasels,” said Kays. "We don’t see them very often, but it’s difficult to tell if they’re actually gone or if they’re just so sneaky that we can’t find them."



"We decided that we needed to better understand the best method to detect them. There wasn’t a great consensus on that.”



The lack of consensus led Kays and a group of researchers to try something new. Instead of relying on luck, they decided to identify the best <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-wildlife-conservation-day-2024-saving-species-from-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bait</a> - and the best method - for attracting weasels to camera traps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-designing-a-massive-survey">Designing a massive survey</h2>



Between January 2022 and April 2023, the scientists launched one of the largest camera-trap bait studies ever done for mustelids.



The team placed 486 cameras across 122 clusters in 14 U.S. states, focusing on areas where weasels were previously recorded or where habitat conditions seemed ideal.



Each site hosted a set of four trail cameras, positioned close enough to give weasels a full choice of lures while minimizing overlap between camera zones.



The researchers tested various bait types. These included red meat, raw chicken, cat food, and scent-based lures like anise oil, salmon oil, and a commercial product called Weasel Super All Call. 



In 2023, they switched fully to meat baits after finding weak results from scent lures alone the year before.



The bait wasn't just thrown on the ground. It was secured in cages to prevent theft by other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-era-in-wildlife-conservation-how-ai-will-help-protect-elephants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a>. One new method, a cage-within-a-cage system, eventually proved highly successful in stopping bait robbers like raccoons and coyotes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-weasels-preferred">What the weasels preferred</h2>



“There is a huge variety of scent lures available, and trappers often make their own from all kinds of ingredients,” noted Kays. “As it turns out, however, just having a chunk of meat works the best.”



Red meat emerged as the top performer. It tripled the chance of weasel detection compared to scent lures alone. 



Short-tailed weasels especially loved red meat, showing up twice as often at those <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-secretly-reshape-landscapes-in-powerful-ways/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bait</a> stations than at sites with chicken or cat food. When salmon oil was added to the red meat, results improved even further - especially for short-tailed weasels.



In the southern U.S., long-tailed weasels appeared more frequently at chicken-baited sites. They also arrived faster. On average, it took just 14.5 days for a chicken-baited camera to record a long-tailed weasel, compared to nearly 40 days with red meat.



Cat food, by contrast, was the least effective. It took over 27 days to attract weasels - if it attracted them at all.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-least-weasel-may-be-in-trouble">The least weasel may be in trouble</h2>



Of all the weasel species in North America, the least weasel remains the most mysterious. The study detected only four individuals in total - one in 2022 and three in 2023.



Their scarcity raises conservation alarms. Researchers have suggested that the least weasel may be the most endangered of the group, with one study estimating a 54% decline in this species' habitat over the past century.



Even in targeted areas, where previous records or ideal habitats existed, least weasels barely registered. This highlights the need for specialized monitoring tools, such as enclosed camera traps like the Mostela, which have had some success in limited trials.



“Now that we have an understanding of the best ways to lure the weasels, we can be more confident in the findings of our surveys,” Kays said. 



“When we have sites where we don’t detect them, we can be much more assured that they aren’t just in hiding, they’re really just not there at all.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-activity-patterns-and-behavioral-clues">Activity patterns and behavioral clues</h2>



The study also revealed new insights into how different weasel species behave. Short-tailed weasels were active both day and night - an unusual pattern that differs from past observations in Europe and Canada.



In contrast, long-tailed weasels were mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, showing peak activity at dawn and dusk.



These activity patterns have practical implications. If researchers know when weasels are likely to appear, they can time camera placements and checks more effectively. 



It also offers clues about predator-prey dynamics, as prey animals may adjust their own schedules to avoid these hunters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-bait-matters">Why bait matters</h2>



Getting the bait right was only half the battle. The researchers quickly learned that non-target species - especially raccoons and opossums - loved the bait too. Red meat and chicken were often stolen, reducing the time that bait remained in front of cameras.



In southern sites, bait theft was particularly high. This lowered detection rates. When cameras lost their bait early, they became less attractive to passing weasels. 



In contrast, northern sites experienced less bait theft. That could explain why red meat worked so well in the north, where short-tailed weasels live.



The addition of salmon oil helped keep sites attractive even after the meat disappeared. Its strong scent lingered, possibly drawing in curious weasels until the bait was replenished. Cameras baited with salmon oil recorded detections in just 6.5 days, compared to 22 days without the oil.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-a-better-monitoring-system">Building a better monitoring system</h2>



This study provides a crucial step toward standardizing how we monitor small carnivores like weasels. With clear bait preferences identified, wildlife agencies can now deploy cost-effective, reliable surveys over large areas.



The best approach? Use red meat or chicken, depending on the region. Add salmon oil for stronger scent cues. Protect the bait using a cage-within-a-cage system. Place cameras in areas with prior weasel activity or suitable habitat. And check the traps monthly during winter, when meat lasts longer and bear activity is low.



Large-scale, standardized surveys like this can finally reveal what decades of anecdotal data couldn’t - the locations where weasels still thrive, and those where they don’t, and how their numbers change over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-way-to-track-weasels">A new way to track weasels</h2>



Despite their size, weasels carry ecological weight. They matter. This study, which was published in <a href="https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wsb.1580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wildlife Society Bulletin</a>, helps bring these predators out of the shadows.



The research team included experts from over 20 universities and wildlife agencies, and was led by corresponding author Scott M. Bergeson of <a href="https://www.pfw.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Purdue University Fort Wayne</a>. Funding came from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, a cornerstone of American conservation.



Thanks to their work, weasels are no longer invisible. We can now track their paths, confirm their presence, and protect what remains - one camera trap at a time.



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Weasels are vanishing - or are they just too sneaky to spot?

The forests and fields of North America hold secrets that even motion-sensitive cameras can't always reveal. Among those secrets are weasels - small, swift, and almost invisible to modern wildlife monitoring. These elusive predators have slipped through digital traps for decades, making scientists wonder whether their silence signals absence or simply stealth. It’s not just curiosity that drives this concern. Weasels, as small mustelids, play vital roles in ecosystems. They control rodent populations and serve as prey for larger animals. Understanding where they thrive or vanish can...

Ever wondered how animals make decisions? Is there a lot of thought involved, or do instincts, personality type and environment lead the way?

According to a new study, the judgments and decisions a pig makes are governed by their mood - whether good or bad - and their personality type.

The new study, carried out by scientists specializing in animal behavior and welfare at the University of Lincoln and Newcastle University, UK, demonstrates for the first time that the combined mood and personality type of an animal have a significant impact on its outlook.

The findings are published today (November 16, 2016) in the Royal Society's scientific journal, Biology Letters.

Previous research has revealed how, in humans, mood and personality type affect our 'cognitive biases' - deviations in judgement which form our individual characteristics and personalities, complete with errors and imperfections. However, until now, it was not known whether the same process also affects how animals think.

Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the new study was designed to explore how mood and personality type affect how optimistic or pessimistic pigs are. The researchers found that just like humans, domestic pigs are more likely to have a pessimistic outlook on life if they are in a bad mood.

The personalities of pigs are deemed to be either 'proactive' or 'reactive' - proactivity in pigs is characterized by more active conduct and a consistency of behavior, whereas reactivity in pigs is often indicated by passive behavior and being more changeable in their responses. In humans, proactivity and reactivity have been linked to extraversion and neuroticism, with extrovert individuals being more optimistic and people with neurotic tendencies proving more pessimistic. The scientists worked with a group of pigs which included both 'proactive' and 'reactive' individuals.

The pigs were housed in one of two environments known to influence their mood, and were trained to associate two separate feeding bowls with different outcomes. One contained sugar-coated sweets (representing a positive outcome) and the other contained coffee beans (a negative outcome). When a third 'ambiguous' bowl was introduced, the researchers observed whether or not the pigs approached the third feeding bowl expecting more sweets (another positive outcome), thus showing how optimistic or pessimistic each pig was.

Pigs with a proactive personality type were more likely to respond optimistically regardless, but the optimism of the reactive pigs was significantly affected by their mood. Reactive pigs living in a more enriched environment, which is known to contribute to a 'good mood', were much more likely to be optimistic about the new feeding bowl.

Project leader Professor Lisa Collins, from the University of Lincoln's School of Life Sciences, explained: "In humans, mood and personality type interact to determine cognitive bias but this was not something that had previously been investigated in any other animals. The results of our study clearly show that those pigs living in a worse environment were more pessimistic, and those in a better environment were much more optimistic. Importantly, this finding demonstrates that humans are not unique in combining longer term personality traits with shorter term mood biases when making judgments."

Dr Lucy Asher from the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University was the lead author for the study. She said: "Our results suggest that judgement in pigs, and potentially in other animals, is similar to humans - incorporating aspects of stable personality traits and more transient mood states. The study provides a fascinating insight into the minds of these intelligent animals and paves the way for even more in-depth studies in the future."

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Lincoln</a>

Animals make life decisions based on their mood and personality type

Ever wondered how animals make decisions? Is there a lot...

Two new lizard species have been discovered in the Chilean Andes.

Collected from areas of heroic past, both small reptiles were named after courages tribal chiefs who have once fought against colonial Spaniards in the Arauco war. The study, conducted by a team of Chilean scientists, is published in the open access journal <a href="http://zookeys.pensoft.net/" target="_blank">ZooKeys</a>.

Jaime Troncoso-Palacios from <a href="http://www.uchile.cl/" target="_blank">Universidad de Chile</a> and his team found both new lizard species near a lake in a pre-Andean zone among deciduous vegetation. Following the examination of the collected specimens and further analysis of their mitochondrial DNA, performed by Dr. Alvaro A. Elorza from Universidad Andres Bello, Chile, the scientists concluded that they belong to species unknown to science.

One of the lizard species, called Liolaemus janequeoae, or, Janequeo`s Lizard, is distinct for being smaller than its relatives, measuring a maximum of roughly 7 centimeters at length, as well as having no pattern on its back. Both features are quite striking for the group of lizards it belongs to. The only contrasting coloration for the lizard species are several white scales appearing on the upper side in males. Otherwise, the lizard species are predominantly light brown with pearly whitish down side of the body.

In the local Lonko tribe's history, Janequeo was a prominent chief, who lost her partner during the Arauco war, after he was caught and tortured to death by the colonial Spaniards. She is said to have had a leading role in the Battle of Fort Puchunqui. Coincidentally, the new lizard species was discovered where the war once took place, in the Araucanía Region.

The second new species, called Liolaemus leftrarui, or Leftraru`s Lizard, was collected from the same locality, hence it also received a heroic name honoured in the Arauco war. It is called after the most prominent Mapuche tribal chief. According to the stories, he was taken by the Kingdom of Chile's Governor at the age of 11 to become his servant. There, however, he learned the military strategy of the Spanish, managed to escape and joined his people in the war. Later, not only did he kill his former master, but also won the most remarkable victories over the Spaniards.

The Leftraru`s Lizard is a large species of about 8 centimeters in length, characterised with absent precloacal pores, a common feature for its lizard group, save few. On the upper side of its body there are also unusual light blue dots. Overall, its colour is brown splashed with dark brown spots. Apart from the blue scattered scales on the back, there is also a bit of green on its head, limbs and tail. At the rear it becomes yellowish.

In conclusion, the authors note that the lizard fauna of Chile has been mistakenly assumed to be quite scarce up until recently. Yet, their latest discovery, along with several other new species, described in recent years, could be a clear sign that, "some populations under study could be described as new species in the future".

--

Credit: Pensoft Publishers

Two new lizard species discovered in the Chilean Andes

Two new lizard species have been discovered in the Chilean Andes....

According to researchers, milk has done the body good for thousands of years. 

Scientists have recently discovered widespread evidence of prehistoric milk production in southern Europe.

The study, a collaboration between the University of York, the University of Bristol, and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, uncovered evidence that humans have been utilizing milk and dairy products across the northern Mediterranean region from the onset of agriculture - some 9,000 years ago.

The importance of meat and dairy production in the Neolithic Mediterranean area remains a topic of debate, with previous research showing that the attraction for milk may have been a driving force for the domestication of cud-chewing animals like cows, goats and sheep.

This study combined evidence of the presence of milk and carcass fats in more than 500 pottery vessels together with an examination of the ages at death of domesticated animals excavated from 82 sites dating from the 7th to 5th millennia BC.

The findings show varying intensities of dairying and non-dairying activities in the northern Mediterranean region, with the slaughter profiles of the animals mirroring the fats detected in cooking pots.

Dr Cynthianne Spiteri, Junior Professor of Archaeometry at the University of Tübingen, who conducted the residue analysis as part of her PhD at the University of York's Department of Archaeology, said: "At the onset of food production in the northern Mediterranean region, milk was an important resource to these early farming communities.

"It is likely to have played an important role in providing a nourishing and storable food product which was able to sustain early farmers, and consequently, the spread of farming in the western Mediterranean."

Dr Mélanie Roffet-Salque and Professor Richard Evershed, from the University of Bristol's School of Chemistry said: "In this work, we integrate for the first time the findings of the analyses of lipid fats extracted from hundreds of cooking pots with the reconstruction of the actual herds at tens of sites, based on the remains of sheep, goats and cattle.

"Some of our earlier work had demonstrated that milk use was highly regionalized in the Near East in the 7th millennium BC, and this new multidisciplinary study further emphasizes the existence of diverse use of animal products in the northern Mediterranean Neolithic.

"Dairying was clearly practiced both in the east and west of the region, but surprisingly not in Northern Greece, where the lipids from pots and the animal bones tell the same story: meat production was the main activity not dairying."

Dr Rosalind Gillis and Dr Jean-Denis Vigne, archaeozoologists at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in the National Museum of Natural History in Paris added: "The choice of raising certain domesticates for their milk would have been heavily influenced by the landscape around the Neolithic communities. For example, rugged terrains are more suitable for sheep and goats. And open well-watered landscapes are better suited for cattle."

Professor Oliver Craig from the University of York's Department of Archaeology said the findings were particularly relevant as much of the population in that region today can't digest milk.

He added: "We presume this was also true back in the early Neolithic period, although this is still to be confirmed through genetic testing of ancient skeletons. Despite this deficiency, our research shows that they certainly exploited milk because we have found organic remnants in the pots they were using. This implies they were transforming milk into dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, to remove the lactose.

"Despite dairying being a multi-billion pound global industry, we know that much of the world's population today are still intolerant to lactose so it is very important to know at what point people in the past were exposed to it and how long they have had to adapt to it."

The study, which was partly funded by The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the European Union, is published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.york.ac.uk/" target="_blank">University of York</a>

Humans have been using milk and dairy products for 9000 years

According to researchers, milk has done the body good for...

Add cockatoos to the growing list of  species capable of making tools.

Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna and the University of Oxford have shown that Goffin's cockatoos can make and use elongated tools of appropriate shape and length out of different materials, suggesting that the birds can anticipate how the tools will be used.

Tool manufacture was once regarded as a defining feature of mankind, but it is now known that a variety of animal species use and make their own tools. In nature, some of the most striking cases of tool-related behavior are seen not just among close relatives of Homo sapiens, such as chimps and other primates, but among birds including crows, vultures and Galapagos finches.

In all cases, what makes this possible is possessing the right combination of heritable and acquired competencies, as well as being capable of a degree of individual creativity. Goffin's cockatoos is a particularly interesting example for scientists to study, as it has unlikely to have a repertoire of inherited tool-related skills and relies more on innovation and problem-solving.

Goffin's cockatoos, which is native to Indonesia, is neither known to use tools in the wild nor to have evolved related abilities for manipulating twigs for other purposes such as nest building. One bird, called Figaro, previously displayed the ability to spontaneously (ie without training) make tools by biting long splinters out of the wooden beams of its cage, which he then used to rake pieces of food that were otherwise out of reach. Three others have since followed, showing that making such tools is within the capacity of the species.

While impressive, these feats do not prove sensitivity to the need for the tools to be of a particular shape: because wood is fibrous, biting and pulling actions naturally split it into the long, narrow pieces necessary to succeed. If individuals are capable of anticipating the requirements of each tool, they should be able to produce functional instruments by displaying different actions and using different materials.

To test if the birds were in fact aiming to make elongated tools that could bridge a particular distance, the researchers gave them the problem of reaching a piece of food placed a few centimeters beyond a circular hole in the transparent wall of a box. They were given four different materials that required different manipulations to produce suitable tools: larch wood (already familiar to them), leafy beech twigs (which had to be trimmed to be functional), cardboard (which, lacking a fibrous structure, could be cut into any shape and length), and totally amorphous beeswax.

Dr Alice Auersperg, who heads the Goffin Laboratory in the Messerli Research Institute at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, said: 'While none of the birds succeeded in making tools out of beeswax, we found that at least some of them could make suitable tools from the three remaining materials.'

The successful parrots made well-shaped tools, even though each material required different manipulation techniques. To make tools out of larch wood, they bit the material once or twice and tore off the resulting splinter. To use the leafy twigs, they snapped off redundant leaves and side branches until what was left was usable. Finally, to make cardboard tools they simply cut what was necessary from the edge of the sheet provided.

Dr Auersperg added: 'To us, the tools made from cardboard were the most interesting ones, as this material was not pre-structured and required the birds to shape their tools more actively. They succeeded by placing a large number of parallel bite marks along the edge of the material like a hole punch, using their curved upper beak to cut the elongated piece out of the cardboard block after reaching a certain length. Interestingly, this length was usually just above or very close to the minimum length required to reach the food reward placed behind the barrier.'

Co-author Professor Alex Kacelnik, from the University of Oxford's Department of Zoology, said: 'Ultimately, we want to understand how animals think - namely, to produce the equivalent of explicit computer programs capable of doing what the birds do. We really don't know if the birds can picture in their minds an object that doesn't yet exist and follow this image as a template to build something new, or how their brains elicit the appropriate set of movements to organize their response to novel problems, but this is what we are trying to find out.

'Studying tool-making in species like Goffin's cockatoos, which does not make tools naturally, is especially revealing, as these birds cannot do it by following pre-programmed instructions evolved to solve this specific problem. These cockatoos, like other parrots, offer wonderful research opportunities: their intelligence is flexible and powerful, they can solve physical and logical problems, they can learn from watching the behavior of others, they can learn about the surrounding objects by playing - and now it seems plausible that they can imagine which object would allow them to solve a new problem and go on to build it. I am sure that they will keep surprising us.'

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.oxford.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of Oxford</a>

Goffin's cockatoos seen making sophisticated tools

Add cockatoos to the growing list of  species capable of...

Is there really scientific value in researching ticklish rats? There just might be, according to Dr. Michael Brecht and Dr. Shimpei Ishiyama of Berlin, Germany’s Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience.

In the late 1990s, researchers discovered that rats make noises while playing or being tickled, and wondered if those noises were similar to human laughter. Other animals have also shown signs of being ticklish, including dogs and chimpanzees.

Brecht and Ishiyama <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6313/757">decided to find out</a> if the rats were truly ticklish by monitoring their neural activity. 

After inserting wire electrodes into the rats to record their responses, they tickled the tiny creatures on their bellies, backs and tails. They also recorded the rats’ ultrasonic “laughter.”

They found that the rats had a good belly laugh and their sensory neurons fired intensely when they were tickled on, you guessed it, the belly. The back had less response, and the tail hardly any at all, indicating that, like humans, rats aren’t ticklish everywhere. 

They also tried the experiment in a few different conditions, and found that they (unsurprisingly) had less fun when they were tickled in anxiety-inducing situations, such as being under bright lights. Their chirp response was reduced and the fear may have reduced their sensory response.

So why bother? The researchers found that the rats were ticklish in some of the same spots as humans, showing that mammals might have some hard-wired neural responses related to tickling. 

They also found that the rats had similar responses – including their chirped laughter – when playing other games with researchers and each other. What does it mean? According to Brecht and Ishiyama, that tickling and the laughter that comes with it may have evolved as a form of social bonding through play.

The scientists looked at lab mice, which are less social than rats, and found that they were less than tickled by researchers attempts to induce a tickle response. In fact, they didn’t appear ticklish at all, and they don’t seem to play like rats, either, the researchers noted. 

That could connect to how other animals and even humans developed a response to being tickled. 

The study was published on November 11 in the journal <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ticklish rats have researchers tickeled pink

Is there really scientific value in researching ticklish rats? There...

Invertebrate extinction has become a serious cause of concern.

The <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species lists 394 insect species classed as extinct. But in a piece published in the <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/the-insect-crisis-we-can-t-ignore-1.20948?WT.ec_id=NEWS-20161110&amp;spMailingID=52736449&amp;spUserID=MjI5MDcwMTc5OTg1S0&amp;spJobID=1044388516&amp;spReportId=MTA0NDM4ODUxNgS2">Nature</a> journal, Axel Hochkrich, chair of the IUCN SSC Invertebrate Conservation Subcommittee, argues this number is completely inaccurate and that a very high number of species are going extinct on a regular basis. Hochkrich urges the scientific community to invest more time and resources in preserving invertebrate biodiversity. 

Various invertebrate species go extinct on a day-to-day basis with little to no record to indicate which species are lost and at what rate. Hochkrich argues the importance of preserving invertebrates as they perform important ecosystem duties such as pest control, pollination, and nutrient cycling. 

So far, in an effort to protect invertebrate species, the IUCN has set a “barometer of life” goal to conserve 45,000 invertebrate species by the year 2020. Additionally, the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/">Convention on Biological Diversity</a> signed on to help slow biodiversity loss, also by 2020. But as Hochkrick points out, most of this work is done on a volunteer-only basis, which significantly limits what can be accomplished.

In addition to necessary governmental funding, conservationists can also receive support from companies who need invertebrates for pollination and chemical compounds.

Hochkrich believes the reason invertebrate extinctions go largely unnoticed is because “the number of experts who work on most insect groups is extremely low: it has even reached zero in many regions and for some insect groups. So although the extinction risk of about 18,000 invertebrate species has so far been assessed for the IUCN Red List, nearly one-third are classified as ‘data deficient’. Many invertebrate species have not been documented since their original description, and we have no idea whether they still exist.”

Another factor is that invertebrates literally and figuratively do not have the same level of visibility as larger vertebrate species. The lack of resources and tools to track and protect invertebrate species on the verge of extinction leaves the science community little recourse until invertebrate extinction research becomes a higher priority.

Invertebrate extinction cause for concern as insect species dwindle

Invertebrate extinction has become a serious cause of concern. The...

Red squirrels in Britain and Ireland are carrying the two types of bacteria that cause leprosy in humans, according to scientists from the <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank">University of Edinburgh</a> and <a href="https://www.epfl.ch/" target="_blank">Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne</a>.

The <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6313/744" target="_blank">new study</a> was conducted after poor red squirrels with strange growths on their faces and extremities were observed by researchers. Scientists found that squirrels with the growths were infected with one or both of two leprosy strains that were once seen in humans, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis.

They also found that a number of squirrels without the growths were carrying the bacteria as well.

The researchers studied 110 red squirrels from Ireland, Scotland and England. They found most were infected with at least one strain of leprosy, unfortunately. 

Squirrels from Brownsea Island off of England’s south coast were found to be carrying a strain of M. leprae that hasn’t been seen in humans since 730 years ago!

Squirrels in Ireland and Scotland carried M. lepromatosis, which has been connected to human infections in Mexico, who likely didn’t contract it from the furry creatures: indeed, genetic testing of the strain carried by the squirrels showed that it likely diverged from the strain found in Mexico 27,000 years ago.

Leprosy was once rampant among humans, but infection rates in Europe began declining at the end of the Medieval period – scientists don’t yet have an explanation as to why. Although rates are much lower than they were 500 years ago, more than 200,000 human cases of leprosy are still reported worldwide. In China, it was a feared disease until the past three decades; the country hopes to <a href="http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2016-09/21/content_26853249.htm" target="_blank">eradicate leprosy</a> by 2020.

However, as human infections decline, the disease has been found to affect some animal species. For example, armadillos can carry the disease, and cases of transmission from armadillos to humans have been reported – so don’t cuddle with them too much. The risk of human transmission from red squirrels in Europe is low because hunting them is banned in most places (thank goodness) and contact with human populations is low.

Leprosy affects the skin, upper respiratory tract, eyes and peripheral nervous system. Symptoms include disfiguring skin sores or bumps that don’t go away, muscle weakness and loss of feeling in arms and legs. The incubation period is 3 to 5 years, although cases have been reported in which a patient developed symptoms as much as 20 years after contact. It is diagnosed by biopsy of the affected skin. 

The study, published in Science, shows that disease-causing bacteria can remain undetected in a region for centuries after a disease is eradicated.

The scientists plan to study red squirrels outside of the UK next. We’re crossing our fingers for the little guys.

Red squirrels in Britain infected with 730-year-old leprosy strain

Red squirrels in Britain and Ireland are carrying the two...

Fruit flies are often thought of as a nuisance, but it turns out they may actually help us understand  better how humans respond to the common cold.

A team of scientists from <a href="http://www.cbn-atl.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Georgia State University</a> led by Dr. Daniel N. Cox have learned that fruit flies, otherwise known as Drosophila melanogaster, have cold-sensing neurons that can trigger adverse behaviors thanks to Transient Receptor Potential (TPR) ion channels. As a result, fruit flies can be a significant tool to help scientists better understand the cellular processes of cold perception. 

The team conducted a study surrounding the idea of nociception, where the nervous system can perceive potentially threatening stimuli through the use of sensory nerve cells. Nociception warns the body of environmental dangers and triggers a response, often resulting in the sensation of pain.

The study, published in Current Biology, found that one of the TRP channel genes called Pkd2 has been linked to autosomal dominant kidney disease. Pkd2 ion channels behave as cold sensors that can also serve as mechanosensors for touch, showing that these ion channels, along with TRP channels, are multimodal (transmitting signals for more than one sense). But how do neurons and ion channels differentiate between harmful and innocuous stimuli?

The team showed that the flies’ sensory neurons have varied activation thresholds. Cold has a high threshold, while touch has a low threshold, and this is what determines the body’s behavioral response.

According to Cox, "This new model sets the stage for uncovering evolutionarily conserved molecular control of nociception. It also provides a powerful genetic platform for unraveling the neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms that integrate multimodal sensory input to produce specific behaviors in response to diverse environmental stimuli."

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By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fruit flies teach humans about the common cold in new study

Fruit flies are often thought of as a nuisance, but...

Dead fish in Oregon rivers are a great source for wildlife biologists’ newest tool to monitor bear populations: bear spit.

According to <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0165259" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a new study</a> published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PLOS ONE</a>, using saliva samples found on half-eaten fish is an even better way to monitor the bears than the feces and hair upon which the biologists previously relied.

Non-invasive DNA testing is a tool frequently used by wildlife biologists, often in the form of testing hairs snared on trees, bushes and other features, or testing of discovered scat (fecal matter). This so-called environmental DNA, or eDNA, can be expensive (in the case of hair) or not particularly effective (scat).

But when salmon populations are up, the bears that hunt them don’t generally eat the whole fish, said Dr. Rachel Wheat, the study’s lead author, who recently received her doctorate from the <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">University of California, Santa Cruz</a>. They often prefer to eat the brains and throw away the rest, she said.

Wheat and other scientists wondered if they could collect DNA from bear spit left in the braincases of the fish carcasses. Turns out they could, and the method is a more effective, easier and less expensive tool for monitoring brown bear DNA.

eDNA sampling allows researchers to distinguish between individual brown bears, offering valuable estimates of how many bears are hunting in a particular area, allowing them to track the population and spot any major changes.

The scientists hope this method of tracking wildlife populations can spread to other bears and even other animal species, suggesting wildlife biologists consider using saliva on food remains or bait as a cheap, effective way to monitor animal populations.

Tracking animal populations is vital when it comes to spotting any potential illnesses, problems in their habitats, or other conservation threats.

Bear spit provides scientists a rich new source of data

Dead fish in Oregon rivers are a great source for...

The dinosaur fossil of a "mud dragon" discovered at a construction site in southern China is offering new clues about bird-like dinosaurs: they were evolving just before an asteroid struck the Earth 66 million years ago, causing a mass extinction.

The dinosaur fossil is of a previously unknown species of oviraptorosaur, a type of feathered dinosaur with two legs, wings and a beak. Scientists have named it Tongtianlong limosus: “muddy dragon on the road to heaven” or “mud dragon” for short.

The <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep35780" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discovery of T. limosus</a>, along with several other discoveries of new species of oviraptorosaurs in recent decades, shows that the feathered dinosaurs were rapidly evolving into new and separate species just before the asteroid wiped out most life on Earth. 

The oviraptors could have been among the last dinosaurs to have a growing, diversifying population before the mass extinction of the giant reptiles, said researchers from the <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/">University of Edinburgh</a>, <a href="http://en.cags.ac.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences</a> and Dongyang Museum, who conducted the study. The mud dragon is one of six new oviraptor species found in the Ganzhou area in recent years.

The findings are giving scientists some insight into how oviraptors and other dinosaurs lived ahead of the extinction event: the reptiles appear to have been flourishing in the region, the researchers said. The discovery of new oviraptor species in Asia and North America also add to scientists’ understanding of the family of dinosaurs that show some similarities to modern birds.

The researchers estimate that the mud dragon lived between 66 and 72 million years ago. The fossil is remarkably well preserved; the oviraptor was preserved lying on its stomach, wings and neck stretched out and head raised. Scientists believe this may have been the position the dinosaur died in.

By comparing the skull of T. limosus to other oviraptors that once lived in the area, scientists believe the evolution of so many different oviraptorosaur species may have resulted from environmental changes and varying diets.

—

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.

Mud dragon: dinosaur fossil offers a glimpse into the reptiles' final days

The dinosaur fossil of a "mud dragon" discovered at a...

The Brazilian free-tailed bat is the fastest flyer of all aviators. 

There is a brand-new world-record holder for fastest speed of horizontal flight in the animal kingdom: the noble title previously had been held by the common swift, which flies up to 100 kilometers per hour. But scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell have learned that the Brazilian free-tailed bat can fly up to 160 kilometers per hour, due in large part to an especially aerodynamic body shape and long wings.

Honorable mention goes to peregrine falcon, reaching up to 300 kph while diving. Comparatively, modern aircrafts have to reach 300 kilometers per hour in order to take off.

Bats are typically considered to be slower flyers because of their less efficient wing structure; animals with wider wings generate greater wind resistance than those with long, narrow wings. Against all odds, the Brazilian free-tailed bat still finished first.

Kamran Safi from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology noted, “Initially, we could hardly believe our data, but they were correct: at times, the female bats, which weigh between 11 and 12 grams, flew at speeds of over 160 kilometres per hour – a new record for horizontal flight.”

The speeds were recorded through a radio transmitter attached to the back of the bat that falls off after two days. Added Dina Dechman of the Planck Institute, "It was not easy for the pilot to follow the fast-flying animals so that we could localize them accurately and measure their flight path continuously.”

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By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Brazilian free-tailed bat flies at breakneck speeds

The Brazilian free-tailed bat is the fastest flyer of all...

Female chimpanzees hire babysitters, study finds.

It turns out humans aren’t the only species who use babysitters. Chimpanzees, humankind’s closest living relative, have been seen to hire babysitters to wean their offspring faster, allowing mothers to reproduce again sooner.

A study performed by scientists at the University of Toronto led by Iulia Badescu observed 42 pairs of chimpanzee mothers and infants at Ngogo in the Kibale National Park in Uganda. The purpose was to examine the pattern of “alloparenting,” a.k.a. babysitting, where chimpanzees other than the mother helped with child care. Findings were published in a paper in the journal <a href="http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Royal Society Open Science</a>.

"Infants who were held and carried more by babysitters nursed less often and drank less milk," said Badescu. "This means that they were becoming more nutritionally independent compared to infants of the same age who were babysat less or not at all. They were going through the weaning process quicker, and would likely be done weaning at a younger age."

As a result, the mothers were able to continue to reproduce. But not all female chimpanzees seem to believe in babysitters.

According to Badescu, “In other chimpanzee communities, babysitting may be a behaviour that rarely occurs. Our findings emphasize the significance of babysitting as a flexible component of female reproductive strategies in some species.”

Badescu and her team conducted an additional study that found chimpanzee mothers allowed their offspring to nurse for comfort, not just nourishment, even after lactation was over. "The young chimps were already weaned but continued to make contact with their mother's' nipple not for nutrition, but presumably for emotional purposes, when they needed to be comforted," said Badescu. 

This study was published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology last month.

---

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Female chimpanzees hire babysitters so they can have more babies

Female chimpanzees hire babysitters, study finds. It turns out humans...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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