On September 29, 2024, something unusual happened in our cosmic neighborhood. Earth captured a tiny asteroid named 2024 PT5, turning it into a temporary mini-moon. 



That's right... as of today, November 2, 2024, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/its-official-earth-now-has-two-moons-captured-asteroid-2024-pt5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth has two moons</a>.



Richard Binzel, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (<a href="https://www.mit.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MIT</a>), shed some light on these fleeting celestial companions.



"These happen more often than we think, but they're small and tough to spot," Binzel explained. "Only lately have our telescopes become powerful enough to catch them regularly."



Back in August, a team of astronomers from the <a href="https://www.ucm.es/english" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Complutense University</a> of Madrid detected the small space rock using a powerful telescope in Sutherland, South Africa.



They weren't the only ones keeping an eye on it. The asteroid was first noticed on August 7, 2024 by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (<a href="https://atlas.fallingstar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ATLAS</a>) at Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii.



This discovery sparked excitement among astronomers, offering a chance to learn more about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-test-simulation-shows-earth-not-prepared-prevent-large-asteroid-strike/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">near-Earth objects</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-exactly-is-2024-pt5">What exactly is 2024 PT5?</h2>



Earth occasionally captures small asteroids like 2024 PT5, placing them into temporary orbits around our planet. 



While most asteroids circle the sun on their regular paths, some venture close enough for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-global-electric-field-discovered-equally-important-gravity-magnetic-fields/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's gravity</a> to snatch them up for a brief visit.



These cosmic visitors only stay in Earth's orbit for a short time -- typically a few weeks or months -- before breaking free and resuming their solar journey.



Each mini-moon gives scientists a rare opportunity to examine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/27500-hidden-near-earth-asteroids-discovered-using-google-cloud/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">near-Earth asteroids</a> up close, revealing valuable insights about our solar system's mechanics.



So, what makes this asteroid special, aside from the fact that new technology and the internet made it famous? 



William Blackmore, Planetarium Director and Astronomy Instructor at <a href="https://www.mhcc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mt. Hood Community College</a>, offered his thoughts.



"All mini-moons are unique in their own way," Blackmore explained. "This one isn't different from others except that it's the most recent.”



2024 PT5 will be around for about two more weeks, probably until mid-November.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comparing-2024-pt5-to-our-moon">Comparing 2024 PT5 to our moon</h2>



Let's compare our moon to this new mini-moon: 2024 PT5 is only about 37 feet across, while our familiar moon stretches a massive 2,159 miles in diameter. That makes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-did-earth-get-its-moon-a-new-theory-has-emerged/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">our moon</a> over 300,000 times wider than this tiny asteroid.



Knowing it’s up there is pretty exciting, even though we can't see it for ourselves without an invitation to a huge Earth telescope installation.



“These temporary captures are natural cosmic laboratories,” Binzel mentioned. “They help us understand the small bodies that come close to Earth and could be important for future space missions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-asteroid-2024-pt5-became-famous">How Asteroid 2024 PT5 became famous</h2>



Understanding how 2024 PT5 became Earth's temporary moon involves a bit of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/finding-order-in-the-chaos-of-the-three-body-problem/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">orbital mechanics</a>. 



Blackmore explained, "It's moving along with us in our orbit around the sun. It's part of a group of asteroids called the Arjuna asteroids, which move at about the same pace as Earth."



He added an interesting analogy: "Imagine a skateboarder dropping into a skate park. They ride the curves, adding energy as they go. That's like the asteroid getting caught in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dart-mission-debris-will-create-a-human-made-meteor-shower/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's gravitational field</a>, riding the curve before moving on."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-significance-of-spotting-mini-moons">Significance of spotting mini-moons</h2>



Spotting mini-moons is tough because they're incredibly small and faint. These tiny asteroids are often just a few dozen feet across, which means they don't reflect much sunlight. That makes them nearly invisible against the dark backdrop of space.



Plus, they're zipping around at high speeds and don't hang around for long, so by the time we point our telescopes their way, they might already be gone. 



It's like trying to catch a glimpse of a firefly from miles away -- you need the right conditions and equipment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-high-tech-telescopes">Modern high-tech telescopes</h2>



Astronomers find them by using powerful telescopes equipped with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gaia-reveals-moons-around-hundreds-of-asteroids/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sensitive detectors and smart software</a>.



Projects like the ATLAS system scan the skies every night, searching for any objects that weren't there before. 



When they spot something moving in a way that suggests it's close to Earth, they alert other astronomers to help confirm the find. 



It's a collaborative effort, combining technology and teamwork to spot these elusive cosmic visitors.



Knowing more about these temporary moons helps us prepare for any potential asteroid threats and opens up possibilities for mining resources from near-Earth objects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-in-observing-2024-pt5">Challenges in observing 2024 PT5</h2>



For those eager to see this mini-moon, both experts warned that it would be extremely difficult. "You'd need a telescope with a diameter of at least 30 inches," Blackmore mentioned. "That's beyond what most amateur astronomers have."



Todd agreed, adding, "It won't be visible to the naked eye. Being 33 feet wide and so far away, you'd need a very large telescope."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



While 2024 PT5 doesn't pose any threat to Earth, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/is-there-a-fifth-force-of-nature-asteroids-provide-new-clues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studying it is crucial</a>. 



"It's important to analyze how it moves and interacts with Earth's gravitational pull," Blackmore said. "This helps us refine our techniques for tracking objects that could cross our path again."



Todd highlighted the practical applications of this knowledge. 



"We need to understand how to intercept an asteroid at a distance and change its direction," he said. "This could be vital in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-dart-mission-proves-humanity-can-be-saved-from-asteroid-collision/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preventing potential impacts</a> in the future."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inspiration-for-future-space-missions">Inspiration for future space missions</h2>



Blackmore envisioned future missions that could take advantage of these temporary visitors. 



"It would be fascinating if we had missions ready to send small satellites or probes to these objects when they come close," he mused. "Imagine building a network of sensors or cameras traveling along with us, like space webcams."



Todd also saw <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asteroid-named-psyche-is-worth-10000-quadrillion-for-whoever-can-extract-minerals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential in asteroid mining</a> and scientific discovery. 



"There might be materials on these asteroids that we can't find on Earth," he said. "They could solve problems in medicine or technology. But we need to weigh the benefits carefully."



To sum it all up, the brief visit of asteroid 2024 PT5 serves as a reminder of the dynamic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/building-blocks-of-life-found-in-asteroids-were-formed-in-cold-regions-of-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nature of our solar system</a>. 



While it won't be with us for long -- just a couple more weeks -- its presence offers valuable opportunities for learning and exploration.



As technology advances, we'll likely spot more of these mini-moons. Each one gives us a chance to understand our cosmic environment better and prepare for the future. 



So even though you'll never see it, you might want to spare a moment of your time and stop to appreciate 2024 PT5 while you still can.



The full study was published in the&nbsp;<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ad781f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">journal IOPscience</a>.



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Earth's second moon, a mini-moon, will drift away in a few days and never return

On September 29, 2024, something unusual happened in our cosmic neighborhood. Earth captured a tiny asteroid named 2024 PT5, turning it into a temporary mini-moon. That's right... as of today, November 2, 2024, Earth has two moons. Richard Binzel, an astronomer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), shed some light on these fleeting celestial companions. "These happen more often than we think, but they're small and tough to spot," Binzel explained. "Only lately have our telescopes become powerful enough to catch them regularly." Back in August,...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warmer-soils-lose-their-capacity-to-store-carbon/">Soils</a> are home to billions of organisms, such as earthworms, insects, fungi, bacteria, or nematodes, which have a profound impact on ecosystems. Without soils and their inhabitants, there would be little life on land, and definitely no humans, since most of the food we eat depends on soil fertility. However, since soils are vulnerable to climate and land-use change, to better conserve soil ecological values we need to know where their protection is needed most.



Now, a study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05292-x">Nature</a> has provided the first global estimate of hotspots for conserving soil ecological values. A team of international experts conducted an impressive global field survey including over 10,000 observations of soil biodiversity and indicators for ecosystem services within 615 soil samples from all continents, in order to assess three soil ecological dimensions: local species richness, biodiversity uniqueness, and ecosystem services (such as carbon storage or water regulation).



The analyses revealed that each of the three dimensions peaked in different areas of the planet. For example, temperate ecosystems exhibited the highest local soil species richness, while biodiversity uniqueness peaked in arid ecosystems and the tropics, and ecosystem services in the colder, high-latitudinal regions.&nbsp;



“When you dig into a European soil, for instance in a forest, you will find many different species in one single spot. When you go to a forest some kilometers further, while different, you will find similar species. Not so in the tropics, where a few kilometers can mean completely different communities,” explained study lead author Carlos Guerra, an expert in Macroecology at the <a href="https://www.idiv.de/en/index.html">German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research</a> (iDiv).&nbsp;



These contrasting spatial patterns discovered for the three dimensions prove how difficult it is to protect all three of them at the same time. “It is much more challenging than for plants and mammals, where there is usually a better spatial match of the different dimensions,” Guerra said. “When it comes to protecting soils, we should probably not focus on locally maximizing all soil ecological dimensions at the same time but rather on integrated approaches that highlight the local potential.”



Despite these difficulties, the scientists managed to identify ecosystem hotspots which should have the highest priority for soil nature conservation, located mainly in the tropics, Northern Europe, North America, and Asia. Unfortunately, half of these hotspots are currently under no form of nature conservation.



“Protected areas have been selected mostly for conserving plants, birds, or mammals,” said study senior author Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.irnas.csic.es/">Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla</a>. “We need to include soils, their biodiversity and services in our perspective. Therefore, governments and decision-makers need to set soil nature conservation as a priority in the context of the international negotiations for the 2030 biodiversity targets.”



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global hotspots for soil conservation are poorly protected

Soils are home to billions of organisms, such as earthworms,...

Goldfish,In,Aquarium,With,Green,Plants,,And,Stones

The manner in which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-change-their-schedules-to-adapt-to-city-life/">mammals</a> obtain information about their position in space by creating an internal map of the environment is relatively well understood. Research has shown that the same system is used by birds and reptiles, but the neural circuits that enable spatial navigation in fish have not yet been investigated. There are around 30,000 species of bony fish, found inhabiting various ecological niches worldwide, and understanding the cues and neural mechanisms they use to move around in space would allow scientists to understand the evolutionary origins of spatial navigation in vertebrates.&nbsp;



To investigate whether fish have similar spatial navigation systems to terrestrial species, researchers from the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> started by testing whether goldfish (Carassius auratus) can accurately estimate distance traveled – an ability that is central to successful spatial mapping.



The study, led by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-adelaide-sibeaux">Dr. Adelaide Sibeaux</a> from the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, involved training nine goldfish to swim a distance of 70 cm within a narrow tank that had a pattern of 2 cm vertical stripes along the sides. They swam the distance along the tank and then a trainer signaled (by waving) to the fish and they turned around and swam back to the start, where they were rewarded with food. Once the fish had learned this skill, the trainer no longer signaled the turning point but left the decision about when to turn around up to the fish. The researchers assumed that a fish would turn back once it estimated it had swum the target distance.&nbsp;



The results, published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1220">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>, showed that after 405 trials, the average distance the goldfish swam before turning around of their own accord was 74 cm. The researchers also found that the fish continued to swim the approximately 70 cm distance even when their start position was shifted 20 or 40 cm forwards along the length of the tank. This provided robust evidence that goldfish are pretty good at judging distance.



In order to understand the method used by the goldfish to assess distance travelled, the researchers experimented with different surround patterns fixed to the outside of the tank. When the pattern was changed from vertical stripes to black and white checks, also of 2 cm width, the fish continued to judge the target distance of 70 cm accurately. The researchers deduced that these two patterns conveyed the same spatial information to the fish and this enabled them to make accurate judgements of distance.



However, when the background was altered to a pattern of vertical stripes every 1 cm (doubling the frequency of spatial information), the goldfish overestimated the distance they travelled by 36 percent. This meant they turned before reaching the target distance (47.5 cm on average). Similarly, the fish turned after a shorter distance (65 cm on average) when the surround pattern was one of horizontal stripes. The modification of the visual information displayed in the background significantly affected the distance travelled by the goldfish, providing evidence for the use of optic flow as a cue for distance estimation. The researchers deduce that goldfish estimate distances by visually streaming the apparent motion patterns of objects in the environment (called ‘optic flow’) as they swim past.



According to the researchers it is possible that the goldfish used number of tail beats to give a clue about distance travelled, just as humans use strides. The number of tail fin beats was correlated with distance travelled in general, although the fish swam more slowly when confronted with some of the patterns. This approach would also have to assume that goldfish are pretty good at counting.&nbsp;



Another alternative explanation was that goldfish assess the time elapsed and use that to assess whether they have achieved the target distance. The results, however, showed that time taken to swim 70 cm showed twice as much variability as was recorded for the distance judgements. The fish do not always swim at the same speed, at times travelling more slowly. This would make it unlikely that the goldfish used time elapsed to guide them in making a distance judgement.&nbsp;



Many terrestrial species are known to use optic flow to estimate distance, but goldfish appear to process the information differently. Animals, including humans, ants, wolf-spiders, and honey bees, estimate distances by measuring how the angle between their eye and surrounding objects changes as they travel. Goldfish, on the other hand, appear to use the number of contrast changes experienced as they move along. &nbsp;The only other research on fish navigation has also shown that Picasso triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) are able to estimate travelled distance accurately using local optic flow as a form of odometer.



“We present robust evidence that goldfish can accurately estimate distance and show that they use optic flow to do so," said Dr. <a href="https://www.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-adelaide-sibeaux">Sibeaux</a>. "These results provide a compelling basis to use goldfish as a model system to investigate the evolution of the mechanisms that underpin spatial cognition in vertebrates.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Goldfish use visual cues to judge how far they have traveled

The manner in which mammals obtain information about their position...

Erect-crested penguins (Eudyptes sclateri) have an unusual and seemingly maladaptive breeding strategy – they lay two eggs each year but hatch only one chick. They show a cavalier disregard for the first-laid egg, often failing to incubate it at all, or allowing it to roll out of the nest and be smashed or eaten by scavenging seabirds. Biologists have long been puzzled by this "wasteful" <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rhythm-linked-to-reproductive-success-in-male-rock-hyraxes/">reproductive</a> strategy and have sought to understand the reason behind it.&nbsp;



These medium-sized penguins that are indigenous to the New Zealand region are the least known of all the world’s penguins. This may be partly because they only breed on two isolated groups of inhospitable, uninhabited islands to the southeast of New Zealand. Access to these islands, the Antipodes and Bounty Islands, is restricted by the New Zealand&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Conservation_(New_Zealand)">Department of Conservation</a>, apart from being logistically and financially challenging. However, as this penguin species is listed by the IUCN as “endangered,” it is important to understand its breeding biology and the status of its population.&nbsp;



Lloyd Davis of the University of Otago in New Zealand, and colleagues from several different New Zealand research institutes, have now published the results of research conducted in 1998 on erect-crested penguins breeding on the Antipodes Islands. Although this research was done almost 25 years ago, the data have not been published before and the study remains the most complete and in-depth documentation of erect-crested penguin breeding behavior to date. The results of the study are now published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275106">PLoS ONE</a>.



In that study, 270 penguins in a colony were captured and marked with a unique code that could be read by an observer from a distance. Once marked, the penguins were not disturbed again but their behavior in the colony was monitored over 249 observation hours. There were 113 nests in the colony, and all nest occupancy, mating, fighting and incubating behavior was observed over a month. In addition, the date on which eggs were laid in each nest was recorded, as well as their fate.



Erect-crested penguins lay two eggs, like most other penguin species. However, the first-laid egg is up to 70 percent smaller than second one, which is laid around 5 days later.&nbsp; Davis and colleagues found that the first egg typically is lost from the nest either before, or soon after, the second egg is laid, and parents sometimes deliberately break or eject the egg. Furthermore, about 40 percent of mating penguin pairs do not even incubate the first egg. Steady incubation begins only after laying the second egg. What, then, is the purpose of the first egg, the researchers wondered.



In a separate experiment in a nearby penguin colony, the researchers constructed rings of pebbles around 14 nests to prevent the first egg from rolling out of the nest. The results showed that 86 percent of first eggs remained in the manipulated nests, in comparison with only four percent in control nests. However, this did not enhance the chances of first egg survival – all of them were eventually lost through being broken in the nest, taken by scavengers or simply not being incubated. Even when the first egg remained in the nest, it was still rejected by the incubating parents and it perished.



Erect-crested penguins travel long distances to find the food they need to sustain themselves and it is likely that they will not be able to feed two chicks to fledging. It is possible that reducing the number of eggs that hatch is an adaptation to this situation. The researchers suspect that erect-crested penguins retain the reproductive habits of their ancestors, which laid and hatched two eggs, but have adapted to reduce the brood by sacrificing the first egg, since they can’t provide enough food for two hatchlings.&nbsp;



In this light, it makes sense that the first-laid egg should be as small as possible, to minimize the cost to the female, in terms of nutrients and energy wasted. Erect-crested penguins show the most extreme egg size dimorphism of all penguins (of all birds, in fact), with the first egg always being significantly smaller than the second. It is clear that reducing brood size in this way is a potential strategy to reduce investment in offspring that would not survive anyway.&nbsp;



The researchers caution that unless erect-crested penguins receive greater research attention and conservation efforts, the species will continue to be poorly understood and ultimately, their very survival could be threatened. Evidence suggests that climate change is negatively impacting their breeding on the Antipodes Islands, with greater numbers of storms and mudslides in recent decades wiping out parts of colonies, and killing nesting penguins. Additionally, changes in ocean productivity around the islands have already caused eastern rockhopper penguin populations in the region to crash, and are likely hurting the erect-crested penguins as well.



“This study highlights the paradox that such an intriguing and endangered penguin species should be so little known, in this day and age, that the best data we have comes from nearly a quarter of a century ago," wrote the study authors. "There is an urgent need for more research and better conservation marketing of this remarkable species.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Enigmatic penguin lays two eggs but hatches only one

Erect-crested penguins (Eudyptes sclateri) have an unusual and seemingly maladaptive...

A new study from <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> suggests that rainfall intensity is increasing across much of the United States. The research team analyzed 17 different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-driving-tree-dwelling-primates-to-the-ground/">climate</a> regions and compared their rainfall during two distinct periods: 1951-1980 and 1991-2020.



“When people study how climate change has affected weather, they often look at extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves and droughts,” said study senior author Daniel Horton. “For this particular study, we wanted to look at the non-extreme events, which are, by definition, much more common. What we found is pretty simple: When it rains now, it rains more.”



The researchers found snow and rain intensity increased in the East, South, and Midwest. However, the Western states have not experienced an increase in precipitation.&nbsp;



“Not only do we see increasing precipitation intensity for regions east of the Rockies, but the intensities are becoming more variable as well, making water resource management even more challenging," said study first author Ryan Harp, a researcher in the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern.



While this study does not confirm that climate change causes more intense precipitation, the results are consistent with climate change.&nbsp;



“Warmer air holds more moisture,” Harp explained. “For every one degree Celsius the atmosphere warms, it holds 7% more water vapor. So these observations are consistent with the predicted effects of human-caused global warming.”



More intense precipitation can lead to increased incidents of flooding and landslides, which threaten lives and livelihoods. The researchers hope their findings will encourage policymakers and city managers to build infrastructure to withstand the changes.&nbsp;



“You don’t need an extreme weather event to produce flooding,” Horton said. “Sometimes you just need an intense rainstorm. And, if every time it rains, it rains a little bit more, then the risk of flooding goes up.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rainfall is becoming more intense in the United States

A new study from Northwestern University suggests that rainfall intensity...

According to a new, multi-agency report from the <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en">World Meteorological Organization</a> (WMO), the supply of electricity from clean energy sources, such as solar, wind, or hydropower, must double until the end of this decade in order to mitigate global warming. If this will not be achieved, climate change, extreme weather, and water stress may severely undermine our energy security and jeopardize <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/transforming-sunlight-and-water-into-renewable-energy/">renewable energy</a> supplies.



The WMO’s report focuses on the issue of energy this year due to its major importance to international agreements on sustainable development and climate change mitigation, and ultimately, to our planet’s health.&nbsp;



“The energy sector is the source of around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to clean forms of energy generation, such as solar, wind, and hydropower – and improving energy efficiency – is vital if we are to thrive in the twenty-first century. Net zero by 2050 is the aim. But we will only get there if we double the supply of low-emissions electricity within the next eight years,” explained Petteri Taalas, the secretary-general of WMO. “Time is not on our side, and our climate is changing before our eyes. We need a complete transformation of the global energy system.”



According to Professor Taalas and his colleagues, access to reliable weather, water, and climate information and services is essential to strengthen the resilience of energy infrastructure and meet the currently rising demands for renewable energy sources. In the process of meeting global electricity needs with clean energy, African countries may turn out to be major players in the market, since the African continent is home to 60 percent of the best solar resources globally. Unfortunately, at the moment, it has only one percent of installed photovoltaic capacity.



“We urgently need to respond to the growing impact of climate change on energy systems if we are to maintain energy security while accelerating the transition to net-zero.&nbsp;This requires long-term planning and bold policy action to spur investment, which in turn needs to be underpinned by comprehensive and reliable weather and climate data,” said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the <a href="https://www.iea.org/">International Energy Agency</a> (IEA).



“Now is the time to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy future. Anything short of radical and immediate action will ultimately eliminate the chance of staying on the 1.5°C path. The intertwined energy and climate crises have dramatically exposed the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of an economic system heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Advancing the transition to renewables is a strategic choice to bring affordable energy, jobs, economic growth, and a resilient environment to the people and communities on the ground,” concluded Francesco La Camera, the director-general of the <a href="https://www.irena.org/">International Renewable Energy Agency</a> (IRENA).



The 2022 State of Climate Services: Energy report can be found <a href="https://library.wmo.int/index.php?lvl=notice_display&amp;id=22136#.Y0YxGP1BzIU">here</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Renewable energy must be doubled by 2030

According to a new, multi-agency report from the World Meteorological...

According to a recent study led by the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>, the larvae of Caddisflies – a common insect inhabiting freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, and ponds – could be inadvertently contributing to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-confirms-microplastics-have-entered-our-food-chain/">microplastic</a> pollution in rivers and waterways by chewing up plastic litter.



The scientists were amazed to find that these larvae used their sharp teeth to bite plastic into smaller pieces, which they then used to build the protective casing they live in until they reach adulthood. Despite presenting the larvae with a variety of alternative natural building material, they frequently chose to gnaw through plastic film, generating hundreds of microplastic particles in just a few days.



“Given the increasing concern for the effects of plastic pollution on our environment, we wanted to understand whether caddisfly larvae would interact with items of plastic litter which commonly pollute the environment, and determine what the consequences of these interactions might be,” said study lead author Katey Valentine, a doctoral student in Biology at York.



Valentine and her colleagues presented larvae with pieces of plastic film cut from a commercially available biodegradable plastic bag, along with pieces of oak leaf. Although the larvae often chose the oak leaf material, many of them seemed to prefer the pieces of plastic for building their new case.



“As well as demonstrating microplastic production, our work also shows how these organisms can exploit plastics to construct their homes. This could make the larvae more prone to predation and result in increased exposure to things like additives that will slowly leach from the plastic,” explained study senior author Alistair Boxall, a professor of Environmental Science at York.



“The active use of plastic litter by freshwater animals that our study uncovered could contribute to the formation of microplastics within these habitats. Further work is now needed to determine the extent to which these animals could be utilizing plastic litter and creating microplastics throughout natural freshwater environments globally, and whether other common freshwater species exhibit similar behavior,” Valentine concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/etc.5496">Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Insect larvae contribute to microplastic pollution

According to a recent study led by the University of...

Newborn infants begin to perceive language inputs from their parents or caregivers within the first few weeks of life. This time period is thus important for subsequent linguistic development and it can be influenced by several factors. Previous research has shown that the infants of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childhood-obesity-linked-to-mothers-poor-dietary-choices/">mothers</a> suffering from postpartum depression may have reduced language comprehension and production within the first years of life.&nbsp;



While around 15 percent of new moms may be clinically depressed after the birth of the new baby, a much larger percentage experience the “baby blues,” characterized by a depressed mood but not by full-blown clinical depression. It is not known to what extent mild depressed mood may affect an infant’s early linguistic development, despite the fact that this condition is far more prevalent than clinical postpartum depression.



Scientists from the <a href="https://www.cbs.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences</a> in Leipzig, Germany, have now investigated whether subclinical depressed mood in mothers also has a negative effect on how well young babies can distinguish speech sounds from one another. This ability is considered an important prerequisite for the further steps towards a well-developed linguistic ability. If sounds can be distinguished from one another, individual words can also be distinguished from one another, and this forms the basis for recognizing both familiar and novel words in the child’s future.



The study involved 46 mothers who completed surveys about their different mood experiences and levels of stress after giving birth. Their moods were measured using a standardized questionnaire typically used to diagnose postnatal upset. The researchers also used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure how well babies were able distinguish speech sounds from other, deviant sounds. The so-called mismatch response is used for this purpose, in which a specific EEG signal shows how well the brain processes and distinguishes between different speech sounds.&nbsp;



The newborns were presented with speech stimuli consisting of repeated “ba” sounds, with irregular and unexpected deviant sounds, namely “ga” and “bu,” introduced at random intervals. The mismatch response was measured at ages of two and six months in each infant. This test of neurolinguistic perception does not require the infants to pay any conscious attention to the sounds and can be conducted perfectly comfortably while infants lie down (2 months) or sit in the laps of their parents (6 months). It is considered an accurate measurement of the infant’s ability to distinguish between sounds.&nbsp;



The results, published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.32672">Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open</a>, revealed that if mothers experience a more negative mood two months after giving birth, their children are less able to process speech sounds when they are tested at six months of age. This applied particularly when the deviant sounds involved differences in pitch, rather than content, with infants from depressed mood mothers being unable to distinguish variations in pitch. These infants showed a more immature mismatch response indicating that their ability to distinguish sounds with different pitches was not as developed as it was in infants whose mothers reported positive moods.&nbsp;



When people speak directly to infants they often use variations in pitch and emphasis, and speak more slowly. The researchers hypothesized that mothers with subclinical depressed mood engage in less infant-directed speech and that when they do engage, their speech may be more monotonous in nature.



“We suspect that the affected mothers use less infant-directed-speech,” explains study first author Professor Gesa Schaadt. “They probably use less pitch variation when directing speech to their infants.” This also leads to a more limited perception of different pitches in the children, she said. This perception, in turn, is considered a prerequisite for further language development, and infants who have delayed development of a mismatch response are considered to be at increased risk of suffering from a speech disorder later in life.



The results show how important it is that parents use infant-directed speech for the further language development of their children. Infant-directed speech that varies greatly in pitch and emphasizes certain parts of words more clearly – and thus focuses the little ones’ attention on what is being said – is considered appropriate for infants and children, and is critical for encouraging early language development.



The findings of the research suggest that the postpartum period is a critical time for infant speech perception and that early support for mothers with postpartum depressed mood may also be beneficial for their infants’ speech perception and language development. Such support could come from fathers and other caregivers who are able to engage in infant-directed-speech appropriately.&nbsp;



“To ensure the proper development of young children, appropriate support is also needed for mothers who suffer from mild upsets that often do not yet require treatment,” says Professor Schaadt. That doesn't necessarily have to be organized intervention measures. “Sometimes it just takes the fathers to be more involved.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A mother’s mood influences newborn language development

Newborn infants begin to perceive language inputs from their parents...

Spending time in nature is known to have positive effects on a person’s mental health and sense of well-being. In most previous studies on this phenomenon, ‘nature’ has been represented by parks, green spaces and woodlands, and their benefit on adult mental health has been assessed. In a new study, however, researchers have investigated the role played by contact with blue spaces, such as coastal regions, rivers and lakes. In addition, they have sought the mechanisms whereby <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-do-some-children-take-bigger-risks-than-others/">childhood</a> experiences in nature’s waterways influence subjective well-being in adulthood.



For this study, the researchers used data from 15,743 participants in the&nbsp;<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbluehealth2020.eu%2Fprojects%2Fbluehealth-survey%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CA.O.Adesina%40exeter.ac.uk%7C122c204664284e04cd7308daa839d563%7C912a5d77fb984eeeaf321334d8f04a53%7C0%7C0%7C638007263582362973%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=%2B%2BQo96auqDdZQ7xDri%2F%2BehWE9pIEMc36fx3ZBEa%2FiTs%3D&amp;reserved=0">BlueHealth International Survey</a>&nbsp;(BIS), a cross-sectional survey coordinated by the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health. The participants came from 14 different European countries and four other, non-European countries/regions, namely Hong Kong, Canada, Australia and California.



Respondents were asked to recall their blue space experiences between the ages of 0 and 16 years, including how often they visited such spaces, how local they were, and how comfortable their parents/guardians were about allowing them to swim and play in these settings. They were also asked to quantify their recent contact with green and blue spaces over the previous four weeks, as well as the status of their mental health during the previous two weeks.



The results of the investigation, published in the&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101876">Journal of Environmental Psychology</a>,&nbsp;found that individuals who recalled more childhood blue space experiences tended to place greater intrinsic value on natural settings in general, and to visit them more often as adults – each of which, in turn, was associated with better mental wellbeing in adulthood. The researchers found that a model where childhood exposure to blue spaces was linked to adult subjective well-being primarily through intrinsic motivation and then through recent blue and green space visits exhibited the best fit to the data. This pattern was apparent across the data from all 18 countries.&nbsp;



The authors conclude that building familiarity with, and confidence in and around, blue spaces during childhood may stimulate a joy of, and greater propensity to spend recreational time in, nature in adulthood, with positive consequences for adult subjective well-being.



<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphd.uniroma1.it%2Fweb%2FVALERIA-VITALE_nP1942935_EN.aspx&amp;data=05%7C01%7CA.O.Adesina%40exeter.ac.uk%7C122c204664284e04cd7308daa839d563%7C912a5d77fb984eeeaf321334d8f04a53%7C0%7C0%7C638007263582362973%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=DiZ4vGxCnKu5xLuodAH0sVL92oJVWtJXonPCcPG3fKU%3D&amp;reserved=0">Valeria Vitale</a>, Lead author and PhD Candidate at Sapienza University of Rome, said: “In the context of an increasingly technological and industrialized world, it’s important to understand how childhood nature experiences relate to wellbeing in later life.”



<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecehh.org%2Fpeople%2Fleanne-martin%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CA.O.Adesina%40exeter.ac.uk%7C122c204664284e04cd7308daa839d563%7C912a5d77fb984eeeaf321334d8f04a53%7C0%7C0%7C638007263582362973%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=DoOc3GPESA6fltadW6jdeALzgsXtJEMH%2FbKv7vTsJPE%3D&amp;reserved=0">Dr Leanne Martin</a>, co-author and postdoctoral research associate at the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health, said: “Water settings can be dangerous for children, and parents are right to be cautious. This research suggests, though, that supporting children to feel comfortable in these settings and developing skills such as swimming at an early age can have previously unrecognized life-long benefits.”



<a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecehh.org%2Fpeople%2Fdr-mathew-white%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CA.O.Adesina%40exeter.ac.uk%7C122c204664284e04cd7308daa839d563%7C912a5d77fb984eeeaf321334d8f04a53%7C0%7C0%7C638007263582362973%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=2vl3nBM%2F2CFL9%2Bw6Xcor64x%2BoB62n1lCbt5hnOlp8AU%3D&amp;reserved=0">Dr. Mathew White</a>, co-author and senior scientist at the University of Vienna, said: “The current study is adding to our growing awareness of the need for urban planners and local bodies responsible for managing our green and blue spaces to provide safe, accessible access to natural settings for the healthy mental and physical development of our children.



“If our findings are supported by longitudinal research that tracks people’s exposures over the entire life-course, it would suggest that further work, policies and initiatives encouraging more blue space experiences during childhood may be a viable way to support the mental health of future generations.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Blue spaces in childhood improve well-being later in life

Spending time in nature is known to have positive effects...

Many silk-based materials today are used in the biomedical field as material for stitches and surgical mesh. Producing silk strong enough for these purposes has been a challenge. Most silk comes from silkworms, but their silk is not as strong as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/male-spiders-transfer-more-sperm-when-mating-with-cannibals/">spider</a> silk.



Unfortunately, harvesting silk from spiders is more difficult due to their aggression. There is a process in which spider DNA is incorporated into silkworms to make their silk more robust. However, this procedure is costly and hard to grow in the desired quantities.



A recent study published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(22)00517-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2590238522005173%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">Matter</a> describes an alternative method for producing strong materials by boiling silkworm silk in a chemical bath to remove the outer layer of silk glue. Then, the strands are fortified by bathing them in metals and sugars. By using this process, the researchers found that silk naturally produced by silkworms can be made 70 percent stronger than spider silks.



"Dragline silk is the main structural silk of a spider web. It is also used as a lifeline for a spider to fall from trees," explained study senior author Zhi Lin, a biochemist at Tianjin University.



"Since silkworm silk is very structurally similar to eggcase spider silk, which has previously been demonstrated to do well in a mix of zinc and iron baths, we thought to test this alternative method to avoid hazardous conditions used elsewhere. Sucrose, a form of sugar, may increase the density and viscosity of the coagulation bath, which consequently affects the formation of the fibers."



Once these artificial silk fibers have been spun, they are nearly the same length as spider silk, and are "smooth and strong" enough to resist physical force, according to Lin.



"Our finding reverses the previous perception that silkworm silk cannot compete with spider silks on mechanical performance," said Lin. "We hope that this work opens up a promising way to produce profitable high-performance artificial silks."



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists discover how to make stronger silkworm silk

Many silk-based materials today are used in the biomedical field...

Woman,Protect,Herself,From,The,Hot,Sun,While,Walks,In

In advance of next month’s <a href="https://www.worldclimatesummit.org/">COP27</a> climate change summit in Egypt, the United Nations and the Red Cross released a report arguing that heatwaves will become so extreme in several regions of the world that human life there will become unsustainable. For instance, in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and south and southwest Asia, heatwaves are predicted to “exceed human physiological and social limits,” with extreme events triggering “large-scale suffering and loss of life,” as the experts put it.



“There are clear limits beyond which people exposed to extreme heat and humidity cannot survive,” the report authors wrote. “There are also likely to be levels of extreme heat beyond which societies may find it practically impossible to deliver effective adaptation for all. On current trajectories, heatwaves could meet and exceed these physiological and social limits in the coming decades, including in regions such as the Sahel and south and southwest Asia.”



According to the researchers, extreme heat is a “silent killer,” claiming thousands of lives each year as the deadliest weather-related hazard. “Projected future death rates from extreme heat are staggeringly high - comparable in magnitude by the end of the century to all cancers or all&nbsp;infectious diseases - and staggeringly unequal,” the experts explained.



The scientists estimate that the number of poor people living in extreme heat conditions in urban areas will increase by 700 percent by 2050, particularly in southeast Asia and west Africa. Among them, agricultural workers, the elderly, as well as pregnant or breastfeeding women will be at the highest risk of death.



“As the climate crisis goes unchecked,&nbsp;extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and floods, are hitting the most vulnerable people the hardest,” said UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths. “The humanitarian system is not equipped to handle crisis of this scale on our own.”



The UN and the Red Cross suggest several strategies for combating the impact of extreme heatwaves, including providing early information to help people and authorities react in time, finding new ways of financing local actions, building more thermally-appropriate emergency shelters and cooling centers, and convincing communities to change their development planning to take into account such extreme weather events.



If aggressive steps to mitigate climate change are not taken immediately, the world will likely (and very soon) face previously unimaginable levels of extreme heat. “We don’t want to dramatize it, but clearly the data shows that it does lead towards a very bleak future,” concluded Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general of the <a href="https://www.ifrc.org/">International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies</a> (IFRC).



The report can be found <a href="https://www.ifrc.org/document/extreme-heat-preparing-heat-waves-future">here</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heatwaves will make some regions uninhabitable

In advance of next month’s COP27 climate change summit in...

The Salton Sea – well-known as California’s most polluted <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-will-have-major-consequences-for-lakes-worldwide/">lake</a> – has lost a third of its water over the past 25 years. As it dries up, the concentration of salt and chemicals in the remaining water has increased dramatically, leading to mass die-offs of fish and birds, including some already threatened species. Moreover, the dry lakebed, coated in the salty and toxic water, becomes dust causing respiratory issues to residents living in the lake’s vicinity.&nbsp;



According to a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a> (UCR), the main reason for this massive shrinking has been a steady decline in the Colorado River flow. “It is an environmental catastrophe,” said study lead author Juan S. Acero Triana, a hydrologist at UCR.



Over the years, scientists have proposed a variety of hypotheses about why the lake’s water levels are declining. While some blame global warming for drying up Salton Sea, others suspect that agriculture could be to blame, since, as irrigation systems get more efficient and crops are modified to use less water, the quantity of water reaching the lake has declined. However, this new study argues that these are not the main causes of the decline.



“There is less water coming from the Colorado River into the Sea, and that is driving the problem,” explained study co-author Hoori Ajami, another UCR hydrologist. By using a hydrologic model which accounted for all processes in the surrounding areas that impact the lake’s water balance - such as climate, land slope, soil types, or plant growth – the scientists were able to simulate long-term water balance dynamics and identify reduced Colorado River flows as the main cause of the Salton Sea shrinking.



“It’s not entirely clear, however, whether the decline in Colorado River water is more due to global warming drying out the river, or reductions in allocation levels to California, or both,” Acero Triana said. Nonetheless, these findings should send a clear message to water management agencies and lawmakers: the Salton Sea watershed should be considered part of the Colorado River basin.



“Usually, the Sea is considered an independent system, and a watershed-centric approach considering surface and groundwater resources is needed to find a solution. As the environmental risks of a shrinking Sea mount, all parties must work together to mitigate the danger,” Ajami concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022WR032281">Water Resources Research</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why is the Salton Sea turning into toxic dust?

The Salton Sea – well-known as California’s most polluted lake...

Squirrel,Monkey,,Saimiri,Oerstedii,,Sitting,On,The,Tree,Trunk,With

A large-scale international study of 47 species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-monkeys-with-strong-friendships-survive-longer/">monkeys</a> and lemurs has found that climate change and deforestation are currently driving these tree-dwelling primates to the ground, where they are at higher risk due to lack of proper food and shelter, and increased negative interactions with humans and other animals.



The scientists – 118 researchers from 124 institutions – examined over 150,000 hours of observational data on 32 monkey species and 15 lemur species at 68 sites in the Americas and Madagascar. “This study began with a discussion among colleagues about how we’d noticed certain populations of arboreal primates spending more time on the ground, yet at sites with relatively less disturbance, members of the same species may never descend to the ground,” explained study lead author Timothy Eppley, a postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/">San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance</a>.



According to Dr. Eppley and his colleagues, primates that consume less fruit and live in larger social groups were more likely to change their habitat, moving closer to the ground. Moreover, those living in hotter environments with less canopy cover were also more prone to adapt to such changes by shifting towards more extensive ground use.&nbsp;



However, while primates consuming a more generalized diet and living in larger groups may efficiently adapt to a terrestrial lifestyle, other species could face significant problems. “It’s possible that spending more time on the ground may cushion some primates from the effects of forest degradation and climate change; however, for the less-adaptable species,&nbsp;fast and effective conservation strategies will be necessary to ensure their survival,” Dr. Eppley warned.



The study also revealed that primate populations closer to human establishments and infrastructures were less likely to descend to the ground. “This finding may suggest that human presence, which is often a threat to primates, may interfere with the natural adaptability of the species to global change,” said study co-senior author Luca Santini, an expert in Ecology and Conservation at the <a href="https://www.uniroma1.it/it/">Sapienza University of Rome</a>.



While the transition from an arboreal to a terrestrial lifestyle has occurred previously in primate evolution, today’s rapid climatic and environmental changes are a serious threat.&nbsp;



“Though similar ecological conditions and species traits may have influenced previous evolutionary shifts of arboreal primates, including hominins, to ground living, it is clear that the current pace of deforestation and climate change puts most primate species in peril,” concluded the other senior author, Giuseppe Donati, a primatologist and biological anthropologist at <a href="https://www.brookes.ac.uk/">Oxford Brookes University</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change is driving tree-dwelling primates to the ground

A large-scale international study of 47 species of monkeys and...

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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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" 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 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



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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



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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"

[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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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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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 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

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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...