Our world is warming, and ecosystems are shifting in response. Some changes are obvious - like flowers blooming earlier - but many are subtle and complex. One of the most important factors in this transformation is phenology, the timing of natural events, such as seed germination and plant growth.



A new study from Holden Forests &amp; Gardens sheds light on how warming influences plant communities by altering germination timing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-germination-timing-in-plants">Role of germination timing in plants</h2>



Germination timing plays a crucial role in shaping entire ecosystems, not just individual plant species. When a seed starts growing, its timing determines how well it competes for resources like sunlight, water, and nutrients. 



Some plants adjust quickly to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predicting-how-climate-change-will-alter-plant-growth-cycles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warmer temperatures</a>, germinating earlier in the season, while others stick to their usual schedule. This shift in timing can disrupt the ecological balance, allowing certain species to dominate and altering the overall plant community.



If a species germinates earlier, it may grow larger and take up more space, outcompeting others that germinate later. Over time, this change can influence which species thrive and which decline - ultimately affecting animals, insects, and other organisms that depend on those plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-germination-in-different-plant-species">Germination in different plant species</h2>



To better understand how climate change affects plant communities, a research team led by Emma Dawson-Glass from the <a href="https://holdenfg.org/katie-stuble-lab/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stuble Lab</a> conducted a controlled study. They focused on 15 plant species commonly found in old-field ecosystems. 



The researchers designed an experiment that simulated two temperature conditions: one reflecting current climate conditions and another 3°C warmer to mimic future <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-extremes-in-2024-what-have-we-learned/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a> scenarios.



This setup allowed them to observe how temperature changes influenced the timing of seed germination.



The main objective of the study was to determine&nbsp;which plant species germinate earlier under warming&nbsp;and how that shift affects plant interactions. 



When certain species sprout earlier, they may gain a competitive advantage, growing larger and outcompeting other plants for sunlight, nutrients, and water. This process can&nbsp;alter plant community compositionand disrupt ecological balance.



The findings provide strong evidence that&nbsp;climate change is already influencing ecosystems. Studying these patterns is crucial for predicting future shifts and developing strategies to manage and restore plant communities as the climate continues to warm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-winners-and-losers-in-a-warmer-world">Winners and losers in a warmer world</h2>



The study found that plants with greater phenological flexibility had a competitive edge. 



Plant species like&nbsp;curly dock (Rumex crispus), wrinkleleaf goldenrod (Solidago rugosa),&nbsp;and&nbsp;tall ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)&nbsp;grew significantly larger when they germinated earlier in a warmed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-defy-climate-change-through-acclimation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environment</a>. 



Meanwhile, species such as&nbsp;spotted St. John’s wort (Hypericum punctatum), bristly buttercup (Ranunculus pensylvanicus),&nbsp;and&nbsp;Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)&nbsp;performed better in current conditions, struggling when warming altered the timing of their establishment.



However, not all plants showed a clear response - some maintained stable growth regardless of warming. This variability suggests that climate change will not affect all species equally, creating an unpredictable future for plant communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-ecosystem-management">Implications for ecosystem management</h2>



"This work illustrates that warming can change the order of species arrivals, ultimately reshaping community composition,” said Dawson-Glass. These findings are crucial for conservationists and ecologists working to restore and manage plant communities in a rapidly changing world.



The study also highlights&nbsp;phenological sensitivity, the ability of species to adjust their timing in response to seasonal changes. 



“Our results provide a new perspective on how climate change is already shaping ecosystems in ways we’re only beginning to understand,” said Katharine Stuble.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-plant-germination">Future of plant germination </h2>



As climate change accelerates, shifts in germination timing are altering ecosystems by affecting&nbsp;food webs, species competition, and biodiversity. Some plants germinate earlier due to warming, gaining a competitive edge over others. 



This can lead to&nbsp;changes in plant community structure, where dominant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-soil-day-2024-protecting-our-planets-lifeline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> thrive while others struggle. Over time, these shifts impact herbivores that rely on specific plants for food, which in turn affects predators and the broader ecosystem.



The research at&nbsp;<a href="https://holdenfg.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Holden Forests &amp; Gardens</a>&nbsp;contributes to a growing understanding of how these changes unfold. 



By studying phenology - the timing of natural events - scientists can predict and manage the effects of climate change on plant communities. This knowledge is crucial for conservation efforts, helping land managers restore and maintain biodiversity.



As ecosystems continue to shift, understanding phenology will be essential in developing strategies to&nbsp;adapt to a warming world and protect ecological balance.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.4504" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecology</a>.



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Climate warming alters plant germination and disrupts ecosystem balance

Our world is warming, and ecosystems are shifting in response. Some changes are obvious - like flowers blooming earlier - but many are subtle and complex. One of the most important factors in this transformation is phenology, the timing of natural events, such as seed germination and plant growth. A new study from Holden Forests &amp; Gardens sheds light on how warming influences plant communities by altering germination timing. Role of germination timing in plants Germination timing plays a crucial role in shaping entire ecosystems, not just individual plant...

In 2009, nineteen-year-old Taylor Mitchell was killed by coyotes while hiking a trail at a national park in Nova Scotia. This is the only documented case of a fatal coyote attack on an adult in North America.



Now, researchers at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> may have solved the mystery of why the deadly, unprovoked attack ever occurred in the first place. The experts determined that the coyotes had been forced to rely on moose (instead of smaller mammals) for the majority of their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-ability-to-adapt-to-new-diets-may-explain-their-success/">diet</a>. As a result, the lone hiker was perceived as potential prey.



The team analyzed the diets and behavior of coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, where the attack took place. The results showed that heavy snowfall, extreme temperatures, and high winds had created unsuitable conditions for small mammals to survive.



"The lines of evidence suggest that this was a resource-poor area with really extreme environments that forced these very adaptable animals to expand their behavior," explained study lead author Professor Stan Gehrt.



"We're describing these animals expanding their niche to basically rely on moose. And we're also taking a step forward and saying it's not just scavenging that they were doing, but they were actually killing moose when they could. It's hard for them to do that, but because they had very little if anything else to eat, that was their prey. And that leads to conflicts with people that you wouldn't normally see."



Professor Gehrt leads the Urban Coyote Research Project which has monitored coyotes living in Chicago since 2000. He was contacted by media outlets for his insights after the fatal attack on Taylor Mitchell.



"We had been telling communities and cities that the relative risk that coyotes pose is pretty low, and even when you do have a conflict where a person is bitten, it's pretty minor," said Professor Gehrt. "The fatality was tragic, and completely off the charts. I was shocked by it - just absolutely shocked.



"A lot of people began wondering if we were at the front edge of a new trend, and if coyotes were changing their behavior. And we didn't have good answers."



Between 2011 and 2013, the Ohio State researchers conducted a detailed field study, tagging 23 adult and juvenile coyotes living in the Cape Breton park. The team fitted the animals with tracking devices and snipped their whiskers. These samples were also collected from the bodies of coyotes that were involved in the fatal attack and in other human conflicts.



The analysis of the whisker samples showed that between half and two-thirds of the animals' diets consisted of moose.



"This dietary evidence was the critical piece to it," said Professor Gehrt. "Their diets changed because they're taking advantage of whatever different food items are available at the time. We're used to seeing big oscillations across the segments of whiskers depending on the season. But in this system, for these coyotes, we don't see that - they flat line at the moose end, so there's very little variation in their diet."



Furthermore, samples from the coyotes involved in the fatal attack on Taylor Mitchell showed they had been eating only moose, "and their diet wasn't changing."



Professor Gehrt concluded that in most areas where coyotes live, food of all types is plentiful - suggesting only areas low on natural prey, like islands and remote northern climates, would pose a similar risk for coyote-human interactions. Their survival in Cape Breton, he said, is attributable to their ability to adjust to their environment.



The research is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14333">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.



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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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Fatal coyote attack linked to extreme weather conditions

In 2009, nineteen-year-old Taylor Mitchell was killed by coyotes while...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lightning-map-reveals-weather-patterns-in-the-british-isles/">Lightning</a> during thunderstorms reminds us of the charged nature of earth’s atmosphere. However, static electricity is present in the air at all times, even during fair weather and away from thunderstorms. Electric fields in the atmosphere influence the movements of biologically relevant ions (e.g., nitrate, sulfate, radon) as well as dust particles. They are also known to facilitate animal dispersal and navigation. However, their origin has usually been thought to be abiotic and to involve local atmospheric electrical processes such as cloud electrification, lightning initiation, precipitation, aerosol charging, and radioactivity.&nbsp;



A new study, published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105241">iScience</a>, contends that living organisms can also have an impact on atmospheric electricity and may even help us to understand hither-to unexplained spatio-temporal variations in the lower atmosphere’s electrical fields. In particular, the researchers focus on flying insects that form swarms and undertake mass movements, such as locusts, honeybees, and migratory species of butterflies.&nbsp;



“We always looked at how physics influenced biology, but at some point, we realized that biology might also be influencing physics,” said study first author Ellard Hunting, a biologist at the University of Bristol. “We’re interested in how different organisms use the static electric fields that are virtually everywhere in the environment.”



Insects such as honeybees gain a positive charge due to friction with air molecules as they fly along. This is a well-known phenomenon and has been proposed as a mechanism that helps pollen stick to a bee’s body as it forages from flower to flower. Given that bees form dense swarms at times of the year when they are looking for new locations to set up home, the researchers set out to measure the changes in electric field associated with the movement of these swarms.



The experts found that, as a swarm flew over their electric field monitor, there was a density dependent change in atmospheric electric charge of around 100Vm-1. The denser the swarm, the greater the increase in electric field force around ground level. This evidence suggests that a honeybee swarm contains enough charge to affect the atmospheric potential gradient, and that this source of electricity can represent an appreciable perturbing influence on the local electrical environment.



“How insect swarms influence atmospheric electricity depends on their density and size,” explained study co-author Liam O’Reilly, a biologist at the University of Bristol. “We also calculated the influence of locusts on atmospheric electricity, as locusts swarm on biblical scales, sizing 460 square miles with 80 million locusts in less than a square mile; their influence is likely much greater than honeybees.”



The researchers measured the electrical charge on individual desert locusts Schistocerca gregaria (805 + 295 Picocoulombs) and multiplied this by published estimates of swarm numbers to determine the possible effect of swarming locusts on local atmospheric electric fields. 



The results revealed that locust swarms have the potential to alter their local electrical environment to an extent that is comparable with meteorological events such as thunderstorms. Butterflies, on the other hand, were found to have far less of an effect on electric fields due to their tendency to move around at much lower densities. 



“We only recently discovered that biology and static electric fields are intimately linked and that there are many unsuspected links that can exist over different spatial scales, ranging from microbes in the soil and plant-pollinator interactions to insect swarms and perhaps the global electric circuit,” said Hunting.



“Interdisciplinarity is valuable here - electric charge can seem like it lives solely in physics, but it is important to know how aware the whole natural world is of electricity in the atmosphere,” explained study co-author Giles Harrison, an atmospheric physicist from the University of Reading.



"As atmospheric space charge enhances the aggregation and movement of aerial particles, it is conceivable that insect-derived space charges will also contribute to spatial changes in aerial particles," wrote the researchers. "For example, it could be speculated that insect-driven charged particle collection and transport could contribute to long-range transport of desert dust, providing alternative explanations for the transport of large particles, which cannot be explained by physical processes alone.”



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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



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Insect swarms charge the atmosphere with static electricity

Lightning during thunderstorms reminds us of the charged nature of...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/">University of Nebraska–Lincoln</a> has found that over the course of one day, in the placid waters of a single pond, a million <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/viruses-have-eyes-and-ears-on-their-hosts/">virus</a> particles might enter a single-celled organism known for its minuscule hairs (called “cilia”) that helps it propel through the water. According to the experts, those virus particles are far from being just a source of infection: they may in fact be a crucial part of the nutrition of these microscopic ciliates.



By collecting and analyzing samples of water from a pond in Nebraska, the scientists discovered that a species of Halteria – a microscopic ciliate populating freshwater worldwide – can eat enormous numbers of infectious chloroviruses which share their aquatic habitats. Thus, a virus-only diet – dubbed by the researchers “virovory” – is often enough to fuel the physiological and even population growth of an organism.



Chloroviruses have long been known to infect microscopic green algae, bursting them like balloons and spilling carbon and other life-sustaining elements into the open water. That carbon, instead of going to the predators of these tiny creatures, gets vacuumed up by other microorganism, in a rather grim – and perpetual – recycling program.



“That’s really just keeping carbon down in this sort of microbial soup layer, keeping grazers from taking energy up the food chain,” said study lead author John DeLong, an associate professor of Biological Sciences at Nebraska.



However, if ciliates eat those same viruses, then virovory could be counterbalancing the carbon recycling which the viruses are known to perpetuate. Thus, virovory may be aiding and abetting carbon’s escape from the dregs of the food web, granting it an upward mobility that viruses otherwise suppress.



“If you multiply a crude estimate of how many viruses there are, how many ciliates there are and how much water there is, it comes out to this massive amount of energy movement (up the food chain). If this is happening at the scale that we think it could be, it should completely change our view on global carbon cycling,” DeLong explained.



Further research is needed to clarify how this fascinating process shapes the structure of aquatic food webs, which other species are involved in similar activities, and how virovory may help some species of microorganisms escape extinction.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2215000120">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Some pond organisms feed solely on viruses

A team of researchers led by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln...

Women with obesity may be more vulnerable to COVID-19 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smartphone-app-can-detect-covid-19-infection-in-your-voice/">infection</a>, according to a study led by Katherine Lee of the <a href="https://www.wvu.edu/">West Virginia University</a> School of Medicine. The researchers used a mouse model to explore how obesity and gender may influence COVID-19 outcomes. The results showed that obese female mice experienced the worst symptoms.



According to the researchers, obesity substantially increases the risk of being hospitalized, placed on a ventilator, or dying from COVID-19.&nbsp;



“No human is 100% healthy in every respect,” said Lee. “There are always going to be little differences in the way our bodies function and those changes can ultimately affect the ways we respond to everything. So, I think as soon as we start incorporating those differences and changes - metabolic diseases and preexisting conditions - into our work, we can learn more about how vaccines and therapeutics might be more or less effective in these people.”&nbsp;



For the investigation, two groups of mice were exposed to SARS-CoV-2. One group had been consuming a high-fat diet, while the other had been consuming a normal diet and maintained a healthy weight.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The results showed that overall, the mice that developed obesity experienced more severe disease and exhibited symptoms sooner. Severe infection was found to be most prevalent among female mice in the obesity group, who developed high viral burdens and the most inflammation in their lungs.&nbsp;



“Clinically, a lot of data shows that men are more predisposed to severe COVID-19 than women,” said Lee. “While we can’t translate our findings from female mice directly to female humans, they do indicate an area for future study. Why does sex play a role in outcomes of COVID-19? And how is obesity a confounding factor?”&nbsp;



“These mice are a new preclinical model we developed to be used as another tool to measure the protection of vaccines and other therapeutics the Vaccine Development Center has in development."&nbsp;



"What we see with SARS-CoV-2 in a host with metabolic disease here is potentially relevant to respiratory pathogens and diseases. Preexisting conditions and comorbidities are going to be really important to consider moving forward.”&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.105038">iScience</a>.



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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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Obesity dramatically increases risk of severe COVID-19

Women with obesity may be more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection,...

Although a nearly limitless supply of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/less-fresh-water/">fresh water</a> exists in the form of water vapor above Earth’s oceans, it currently remains untapped. According to a new study led by the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</a>, an investment in new infrastructure capable of harvesting oceanic water vapor could be a feasible and sustainable solution to limited supplies of fresh water in various locations around the globe.



The scientists evaluated 14 water-stressed locations across the world for the feasibility of a hypothetical structure that could capture water vapor from above the ocean and condense it into fresh water.&nbsp;



“Water scarcity is a global problem and hits close to home here in the U.S. regarding the sinking water levels in the Colorado River basin, which affects the whole Western U.S.,” said study corresponding author Praveen Kumar, an expert in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois. “However, in subtropical regions, like the Western U.S., nearby oceans are continuously evaporating water because there is enough solar radiation due to the very little cloud coverage throughout the year.”



Previous wastewater recycling, cloud seeding, and desalination methods were only partly successful. For instance, desalination plants face sustainability issues due to the brine and heavy metal-laden wastewater produced.&nbsp;



“Eventually, we will need to find a way to increase the supply of fresh water as conservation and recycled water from existing sources, albeit essential, will not be sufficient to meet human needs. We think our newly proposed method can do that at large scales,” Kumar said.



By performing atmospheric and economic analyses of the placement of hypothetical offshore structures 210 meters wide and 100 meters high, the researchers concluded that capturing moisture over ocean surfaces could be feasible for many water-stressed regions worldwide, and provide fresh water for large subtropical population centers.&nbsp;



“The climate projections show that the oceanic vapor flux will only increase over time, providing even more fresh water supply,” said study lead author Afeefa Rahman, a PhD student at the University of Illinois. “So, the idea we are proposing will be feasible under climate change. This provides a much needed and effective approach for adaptation to climate change, particularly to vulnerable populations living in arid and semi-arid regions of the world.”



Interestingly, one of the most elegant features of this proposed technique is that it works in a similar way to the natural water cycle. “The difference is that we can guide where the evaporated water from the ocean goes,” concluded senior author Francina Dominguez, an atmospheric scientist at the same university.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24314-2">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Could water vapor become a reliable source of fresh water?

Although a nearly limitless supply of fresh water exists in...

According to a recent study presented at the <a href="https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/bes-annual-meeting-2022/">British Ecological Society’s annual meeting</a> in Edinburgh on December&nbsp;20, 2022, animals that perceive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/time-fly-faster-older/">time</a> the fastest are those that are small, can fly, or are marine predators.&nbsp;



The scientists used data collected from a variety of studies that measured temporal perception in over 100 animal species through flickering light experiments, which recorded the rate of optic nerve sent information with the help of special devices called electroretinograms. The analysis revealed that animals with fast-paced lifestyles have visual systems which can detect changes at highest rates.



For instance, species such as blow flies or dragon flies were able to detect changes at the highest rate, having visual systems operating at 300hz (that is, they were able to detect changes 300 times a second) – a significantly higher rate than in humans, who can see at 65hz. In vertebrates, the fastest temporal perceptions belonged to the pied fly catchers (146hz), while animals such as salmon and dogs clocked in at 96hz and 75hz, respectively. The slowest time perception belonged to crown-of-thorn starfish (0.7hz).



“Having fast vision helps a species perceive rapid changes in the environment. Such detailed perception of changes is very useful if you move quickly or need to pinpoint the trajectory of&nbsp;moving prey,” said Kevin Healy, an expert in Macroecology at the <a href="https://www.universityofgalway.ie/">University of Galway</a>, who presented the study.



“By looking at such a wide range of animals, from dragonflies to starfish, our findings show that a species’ perception of time itself is linked to how fast its environment can change. This can help our understanding of predator-prey interactions or even how aspects such as light pollution may affect some species more than others.”



The scientists were surprised to find that many terrestrial predators have relatively slow temporal perception compared to aquatic predators. “We think this difference may be because in aquatic environments predators can continuously adjust their position when lunging for prey, while in terrestrial environments, predators that lunge at prey, such as a jumping spider, are not able to make adjustments once they’ve launched,” Healey explained.



Since having fast temporal perception is energetically costly and limited by how quickly neurons linked to retinal cells in the eye can recharge, many animals that don’t require such skills have slower time perception and use their energy for growth or reproduction.



Finally, the researchers found that variation in time perception can also occur within species, including in humans, with some studies showing that in football, for instance, goalkeepers can see changes at a higher rate.



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Which animals perceive time the fastest?

According to a recent study presented at the British Ecological...

In a special late-year event, all of the planets in our solar system will be visible together in the sky tonight. About half an hour after sunset, the planets will line up from the southwest to the eastern sky.



Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars can be viewed with the naked eye, (and in that order). Uranus and Neptune can be viewed with a telescope or binoculars.



Look for Uranus between Mars and Jupiter, while Neptune can be spotted between Saturn and Jupiter.



According to Space.com, the five planets visible with the naked eye will line up in the sky starting from the southwestern horizon.&nbsp;



With Mercury being the smallest planet in the solar system, it may require a telescope for viewing if the sky is not dark enough. Mercury is also located next to the ultra-vivid Venus, which is 70 times brighter. Look for Venus about 30 minutes after sunset, before it vanishes 40 minutes later.&nbsp;



According to The Guardian, Jupiter will appear brighter than all of the stars and will be high in the southern sky. Meanwhile, Saturn will glow with a golden color when it emerges in the southwest sky.&nbsp;



All eight planets will appear just 1.5 degrees apart, and are set to reach their closest point - or conjunction - on December 29 at 2100 GMT. This special event occurs about once every one to two years.&nbsp;



The moon will also join tonight's planet parade, appearing as a waxing crescent between Jupiter and Saturn.



Gianluca Masi, an astronomer with the Virtual Telescope Project, told Newsweek: "These nights, we can see all the planets of our solar system at a glance, soon after sunset. It happens from time to time, but it is always a spectacular sight.



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Spectacular "planet parade" will be visible tonight

In a special late-year event, all of the planets in...

Flowering,Saintpaulias,,Commonly,Known,As,African,Violet.,Mini,Potted,Plant.

Flowers are complex, three-dimensional structures that thrill us with their shapes and colors. Their diverse morphology and rich hues have evolved to attract <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-patches-of-land-can-help-support-pollinators/">pollinators</a> and ensure successful reproduction in a 3D world, and yet we are often more familiar with them captured in 2D, in the form of photographs and artworks.&nbsp;



A team of scientists from <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.18553">McGill University</a>, Université de Montréal, and the Montreal Botanical Garden, have now developed a method of generating 3D images from photographs and other 2D sources. Photogrammetry is the technology used to obtain 3D information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images. This methodology has been extensively used in the field of geography, to reconstruct physical objects from aerial or satellite photographs. It has never before been used to understand the 3D structure of flowers.



The researchers developed a photogrammetry method to reconstruct 3D models of flowers based on numerous images taken from different angles using a digital, single-lens reflex camera, a turntable and a lightbox. They tested their method on 18 different species from the family Gesneriaceae, which includes primroses and African violets. Their results are published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.18553">New Phytologist</a>.



The researchers say that photogrammetry has the potential to boost research on flower evolution and ecology because it provides a simple way to access three-dimensional morphological data. Databases of flower structures - or even of the structures of complete plants - could give scientists and the public a way to finally see the unique features of plant species that usually remain hidden from view.



“The variety of shapes and colors seen in the plant world are difficult to capture with simple photography. That’s why I became interested in adapting technological tools to capture the form of flowers,” said Professor&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/daniel-schoen">Daniel Schoen</a>, who first had the idea of applying photogrammetry to flowers, while doing research at the Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale. “Understanding floral evolution is important because flowers are the principal drivers of plant diversification through speciation, a major determinant of plant biodiversity."



“Together, the team developed something we think will help advance our understanding of how flowers diversify in response to their interaction with pollinators. Thanks to our 3D models, it’s possible to admire flowers from every angle."



According to the researchers, the use of photogrammetry has real advantages compared to other existing methods, in particular X-ray microtomography, which is by far the most widely used method to build 3D flower models.&nbsp;



"Photogrammetry is much more accessible, since it’s cheap, requires little specialized equipment and can even be used directly in nature,” said study lead author Marion Leménager. “In addition, photogrammetry has the advantage of reproducing the colors of flowers, which is not possible with methods using X-rays.”



The first results, although imperfect, were enough to convince Leménager to devote a chapter of her thesis to it. “The method is not perfected yet,” said Leménager. “Some parts of the flowers remain difficult to reconstruct in 3D, such as reflective, translucent or very hairy surfaces.”



The method is an important step towards understanding more about the development and evolution of flowers, and how they interact with their pollinators. At least 90 percent of flowering plants make use of pollinators to ensure their reproduction, and the 3D morphology of flowers is an important factor that attracts appropriate pollinators. In the past, the 3D structure of flowers was rarely studied, because it is difficult to quantify structures in 3D.&nbsp;



“We have shown that photogrammetry works at least as well as more complicated and expensive X-ray methods for visible flower structures,” said study co-author Simon Joly. “Thanks to the living collections of the Montreal Botanical Garden, our study of plants from the Gesneriaceae family, like the African violet, demonstrates that 3D models produced using this technique allow us to explore a large number of questions about the evolution of flowers.”



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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



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Looking deep inside of flowers may reveal their hidden secrets

Flowers are complex, three-dimensional structures that thrill us with their...

Along,Way,At,Khardung,La,Pass,In,Ladakh,,India.,Khardung

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/temperatures-are-rising-unexpectedly-fast-on-the-tibetan-plateau/">Tibetan Plateau</a> has experienced significant warming and wetting since the mid-1990s, which has substantially altered the thermal properties of its frozen ground. A new study led by the <a href="https://english.cuit.edu.cn/index.jsp">Chengdu University of Information Technology</a> in China has found that the dual effect of this wetting and the projected increase in precipitation of the Plateau in the future is rapidly becoming a critical factor in determining the thermodynamics of the frozen ground.



“In the face of the greatest increase in the occurrence frequency of heavy precipitation over the entire Tibetan Plateau, we need to address how warming and wetting might be jointly influencing the thermal responses of the permafrost and seasonally frozen ground to climate change,” said study lead author Xuewei Fang, an expert in Atmospheric Sciences at Chengdu.



The scientists used the average annual precipitation as a criterion to divide the Tibetan Plateau into four different regions: an arid zone (with annual precipitation below 200 mm), a semi-arid zone (200–400 mm), a semi-humid zone (400–800 mm), and a humid zone (above 800 mm). The analysis revealed that, compared to the 1961–1990 period, the average annual air temperature and precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau between 1991 and 2010 increased by 0.72C and 75.64 mm, respectively, with the arid and semi-arid regions becoming warmer and wetter, and the humid and semi-humid zones becoming warmer but drier.



Moreover, by comparing the freezing and thawing durations of the ground surface in these two time frames, the researchers discovered that the wetting in drier areas before the 1990s prolonged the freezing duration of the frozen ground, while the continuous wetting after the 1990s reduced the thawing period. These findings suggest that the significant wetting in arid regions has exerted the opposite warming effect on the permafrost since the 1990s, shrinking the frozen area by 28 percent.



By contrast, the decline in precipitation in the humid zones has prolonged the thawing duration in seasonally frozen ground since the 1990s, due to the fact that the drying and warming environment enhances heat loss at the ground level, thereby decreasing the heat supply for the melting of ice and extending the thawing process.



“Next, we plan to investigate how energy and water fluxes in the frozen ground interact with wetting and warming conditions,” Dr. Feng concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00376-022-2109-z">Advances in Atmospheric Sciences</a>.&nbsp;



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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How is frozen ground responding to climate change?

The Tibetan Plateau has experienced significant warming and wetting since...

C. difficile is a bacterium which can cause potentially deadly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-reinfection-increases-the-risk-of-fatal-complications/">infections</a>, especially among the elderly and individuals on long-term treatments with antibiotics. Infections with these bacteria – averaging about 350,000 cases per year in the U.S. – are usually characterized by diarrhea, nausea, and fever, and once infected, patients are prone to recurrent re-infections.



Now, a team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.virginia.edu/">University of Virginia</a> (UVA) have found that certain microorganisms present in our guts – a group of antibiotic-resistant “opportunistic pathogens” called enterococci - could make C. difficile more potent and dangerous for certain people.



“The interactions between&nbsp;C. diff,&nbsp;other microbes, and the human gut are highly complex. This study leveraged expertise from a large, multidisciplinary team across several institutions to disentangle these complex interactions and discover key mechanisms that help&nbsp;C. diff&nbsp;cause disease,” said study co-author Jason Papin, an expert in Biomedical Engineering at UVA. “With this greater understanding, we have an opportunity to develop new therapeutic strategies to treat this dangerous infection.”



The scientists collected stool samples from a cohort of patients infected with C. difficile, and, using a combination of lab tests and advanced computer modelling, they investigated how C. diff. interacts with other microorganisms in the gut. The analysis revealed that enterococci – bacteria that, even on their own, can sometimes cause dangerous and difficult to treat infections, such as meningitis, diverticulitis, or urinary tract infections – make for a dangerous ally to C. diff, since they produce amino acids such as leucine and ornithine, which make C. diff more dangerous for people on long-term antibiotics.



By clarifying how this bacterium interacts with enterococci and other gut microorganisms, doctors will be better positioned to battle this common, yet possibly serious infection. “Biology is a data-rich science and the power of computational models to use these data is only in its infancy. We’re excited about the innumerable opportunities to use data science and computer modeling to drive biological discovery,” Papin concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05438-x">Nature</a>.



—



By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Deadly bacteria has an ally lurking in our guts

C. difficile is a bacterium which can cause potentially deadly...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> in Denmark, being overweight may not be related only to how healthy one eats or how much exercise one gets, but also to the particular composition of a person’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-gut-microbiome-is-shaped-by-what-we-eat/">gut microbiome</a>. Surprisingly, the experts found that a portion of the population may be disadvantaged by gut bacteria that are highly effective at extracting energy from food.



The scientists investigated the residual energy in the stool of 85 participants to estimate how effective their gut microbes were at extracting energy from food. The analyses revealed that about 40 percent of the participants had a greater abundance of Bacteroides bacteria in their gut microbiome (a so-called B-Type composition), which are more effective at extracting nutrients from food. However, this effectiveness may also result in more calories available for the human host from the same amount of food, a finding previously confirmed by studies of mice.



“The fact that our gut bacteria are great at extracting energy from food is a good thing, as the bacteria’s metabolism of food provides extra energy in the form of, for example, short-chain fatty acids, which are molecules that our body can use as energy-supplying fuel. But if we consume more than we burn, the extra energy provided by the intestinal bacteria may increase the risk of obesity over time,” explained study senior author Henrik Roager, an expert in the Microbiome and Metabolomics at Copenhagen.



By studying how the composition of the gut microbiome is related to the length of food’s journey from consumption to excretion (which can last between 12 and 36 hours), the scientists stumbled upon another unexpected discovery: while they initially hypothesized that people with long digestive travel times would be the ones who harvested the most nutrition from their food, the analysis found the exact opposite.



“We thought that there would be a long digestive travel time would allow more energy to be extracted. But here, we see that participants with the B-type gut bacteria that extract the most energy, also have the fastest passage through the gastrointestinal system, which has given us something to think about,” Roager said.&nbsp;



“We may have found a key to understanding why some people gain more weight than others, even when they don’t eat more or any differently. But this needs to be investigated further,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-022-01418-5">Microbiome</a>.



—



By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Some gut bacteria promote obesity

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

Food waste could be dramatically reduced by changing simple words about freshness on product labels, according to a new study led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>. Depending on the type of product, words like "best by" or "best if used by" can make a big difference in whether <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/benefits-of-blue-foods-are-not-reaching-millions-of-people/">food</a> is tossed out too early.&nbsp;



"We developed a survey to collect information on consumers’ intentions to discard 15 food products when exposed to different date labels," wrote the researchers. "Results show that the use of certain date labels has the capacity to reduce food waste, but the reductions would happen differentially across food groups."



“Some consumers might do a sniff test to see if food is still good, while others might just look at the date label and throw it away,” said study senior author Professor Brad Rickard. He explained that most of the date labels used on food products in the United States are not even regulated. “And they’re not food safety dates; they’re just food quality dates.”



In particular, the researchers found that the words “use” or “use by” lead to an increase in food waste because these terms seem to imply that it may not be safe to consume foods beyond the established date. On the other hand, the words “best by” seem to refer to the perceived quality of a product beyond a certain date, which could lead to less food waste.&nbsp;



“You go into the yogurt section at the grocery store, and you see many different labels - some say ‘use by,’ some say ‘best by,’ some say ‘best if used by’ or ‘fresh by,’ ‘sell by.’ And there are no rules about this.”



Professor Rickard said the motivation for this work stems from the “wild west” landscape of food date labels which is expected to be driven, in part, by manufacturers’ desire to sell more products. Last year, the Food Date Labeling Act was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate in an effort to reduce the discarding of safe food.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/erae/jbac021">European Review of Agricultural Economics</a>.



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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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Food waste could be greatly reduced with better labels

Food waste could be dramatically reduced by changing simple words...

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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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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



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



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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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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