Some of the most dramatic climate events in history are the Snowball Earth episodes, which occurred hundreds of millions of years ago. Nearly the entire planet was covered in ice up to a kilometer (0.6 miles) thick during these periods.&nbsp;



The rare Snowball Earth events did not follow regular cycles but lasted for millions to tens of millions of years before being followed by intense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-global-warming-event-sheds-light-on-earths-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a>. Despite their significance, the details surrounding how these frozen periods ended are still not fully understood.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a> (UW) offers a more complete picture of how the last Snowball Earth episode ended and sheds light on why it was followed by a major expansion of life, including the emergence of Earth's first animals.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changes-in-key-earth-properties">Changes in key Earth properties</h2>



The research, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51412-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>, focuses on ancient rocks known as “cap carbonates,” which are believed to have formed as the planet’s ice sheets thawed.&nbsp;



These rocks provide clues about the state of Earth's atmosphere and oceans roughly 640 million years ago - long before ice cores or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-largest-ever-solar-storm-discovered-through-tree-rings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tree rings</a> could record such history.



Study lead author Trent Thomas is a doctoral student in earth and space sciences at UW.



“Cap carbonates contain information about key properties of Earth's atmosphere and ocean, such as changing levels of carbon dioxide in the air or the acidity of the ocean,” said Thomas. "Our theory now shows how these properties changed during and after Snowball Earth.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-formation-of-cap-carbonates-nbsp">Formation of cap carbonates&nbsp;</h2>



Cap carbonates are layered limestone or dolomite rocks with distinct chemical properties. Today, they can be found in more than 50 locations worldwide, including places like Death Valley, Namibia, Siberia, Ireland, and Australia.&nbsp;



These formations are believed to have resulted from the melting of the ice sheets that once covered Earth, triggering significant shifts in atmospheric and oceanic chemistry. The unique sediments were then deposited on the ocean floor.



The rocks are called “caps” because they lie atop the glacial deposits left behind after the Snowball Earth <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-complete-record-of-snowball-earth-found-in-rock-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">events</a>, and they’re classified as “carbonates” because they consist of carbon-containing limestone or dolomite.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animals-appeared-after-the-last-snowball-earth-nbsp">Animals appeared after the last Snowball Earth&nbsp;</h2>



Understanding how these rocks formed helps clarify the carbon cycle during periods of dramatic climate shifts. 



This latest study, which models these environmental changes, also provides clues about the evolution of life on Earth and explains why more complex life-forms emerged following the last Snowball Earth.



“Life on Earth was simple - in the form of microbes, algae, or other tiny aquatic organisms - for over two billion years leading up to Snowball Earth,” said senior author David Catling, a professor of earth and space sciences at UW.&nbsp;



“In fact, the billion years leading up to Snowball Earth are called the ‘boring billion’ because so little happened. Then two Snowball Earth events occurred, and soon after, animals appear in the fossil record.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chemistry-of-a-snow-covered-earth-nbsp">Chemistry of a snow-covered Earth&nbsp;</h2>



The new research offers a framework to explain how these two events may be connected. The study models the chemistry and geology during three distinct phases of Snowball Earth.&nbsp;



During the peak of the icy period, the thick ice sheets covering the planet reflected sunlight, though some open water allowed limited exchange between the ocean and atmosphere. Meanwhile, the cold seawater continued reacting with the ocean floor.



Over time, carbon dioxide built up in the atmosphere until it trapped enough heat to warm the planet and melt the ice.&nbsp;



Once this occurred, rainfall began again, and freshwater from glacial melt poured into the oceans, creating a layer of meltwater that floated on top of the denser, salty ocean water.&nbsp;



This layering slowed down ocean circulation. Eventually, ocean mixing resumed, allowing the upper ocean, deep ocean, and atmosphere to interact again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-recovery-from-the-snowball-period-nbsp">Earth's recovery from the Snowball period&nbsp;</h2>



“We predict important changes in the environment as Earth recovered from the Snowball period, some of which affected the temperature, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-for-ocean-acidification-a-silent-killer-of-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">acidity</a>, and circulation of the ocean. Now that we know these changes, we can more confidently figure out how they affected Earth’s life,” noted Thomas.



The research team plans to continue exploring how pockets of life that may have survived during Snowball Earth’s tumultuous aftermath could have evolved into the more complex <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-life-and-environment-co-evolved-over-500-million-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life</a> forms that appeared shortly after.



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‘Snowball Earth’ event set the stage for complex life

Some of the most dramatic climate events in history are the Snowball Earth episodes, which occurred hundreds of millions of years ago. Nearly the entire planet was covered in ice up to a kilometer (0.6 miles) thick during these periods.&nbsp; The rare Snowball Earth events did not follow regular cycles but lasted for millions to tens of millions of years before being followed by intense warming. Despite their significance, the details surrounding how these frozen periods ended are still not fully understood. A new study led by...

High speed air dryers can spread <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-dryers-spread-germs/">germs</a> from poorly washed hands to clothing and then onto other surfaces outside of the restroom, according to a study from the <a href="https://www.shea-online.org/">Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America</a>.

"Pathogens can persist for several hours on hands and up to several months on surfaces, and they can be acquired at a high rate through contact with environmental surfaces," wrote the researchers.

"Residual hand moisture is associated with increased microorganism transfer from hands to surfaces. Thus, the process of hand drying is essential in minimizing the risk of pathogen spread."

"Previously, we examined the risk of environmental bacterial contamination in hospital toilets associated with different hand-drying methods. We observed less droplet and/or microbe dispersion, and consequently lower level of toilet surfaces contamination, following hand drying with paper towels compared to a jet air dryer." 

"These observations showed the impact of the hand-drying method on the risk of contamination of the washroom and toilet environment. However, whether these differences could also affect the spread of pathogens beyond the toilets remains unknown, especially as in hospitals, these are used by staff, visitors, and patients."

To investigate, the researchers conducted an experiment designed to test the role of different hand drying methods in spreading germs outside of the restroom.

Study participants sanitized their hands with 70 percent alcohol disinfectant, dipped them in a harmless viral solution, and then dried them using either an air dryer or paper towels. 

During the experiment, the volunteers wore an apron to test contamination of clothing. The participants then took a predetermined path through the hospital while touching commonly used surfaces, such as elevator buttons. 

The researchers collected samples from surfaces that the volunteers touched, as well as from their aprons.

"Based on the user and surface contamination observed following hand drying using high speed air dryers, we question the choice of air dryers in healthcare settings," said study co-author Dr. Ines Moura of the University of Leeds. "Microbes remaining after hand drying can transfer to surfaces via contaminated hands and clothing."

The levels of contamination on surfaces that individuals touched with their hands were ten times higher after hands were dried with an air dryer rather than paper towels. In addition, there was greater microbial transfer to the apron when volunteers used the air dryer. 

"The study was performed in a healthcare setting and has important lessons for health institutions that still have high speed air dryers in restrooms, but the results are also relevant for public restrooms with high foot traffic," said Dr. Moura.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology">Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air dryers spread germs to surfaces beyond the restroom

High speed air dryers can spread germs from poorly washed...

The largest asteroid to approach our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-hawaii-has-the-best-rainbows-on-the-planet/">planet</a> in 2021 will arrive this weekend. Based on optical measurements, 2001 FO32 is estimated to be roughly 3,000 feet wide and twice the size of the Eiffel Tower in diameter.

According to a report from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, the asteroid does not pose a threat to Earth, and will present a valuable scientific opportunity for astronomers to observe an object that formed at the dawn of our solar system.

Experts hope to gain a better understanding of the size of 2001 FO32, as well as some clues about its composition by studying light reflecting off its surface.

"When sunlight hits an asteroid's surface, minerals in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others," said NASA. "By studying the spectrum of light reflecting off the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical 'fingerprints' of the minerals on the surface of the asteroid."

On March 21, 2001 FO32 will make its closest approach at a distance of about 1.25 million miles, which is 5.25 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. 

Paul Chodas is the director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

“We know the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the Sun very accurately, since it was discovered 20 years ago and has been tracked ever since,” said Chodas. “There is no chance the asteroid will get any closer to Earth than 1.25 million miles.”

Regardless, the distance from 2001 FO32 to Earth will still be close in astronomical terms, which is why it has been designated as a potentially hazardous asteroid. 

This time around, 2001 FO32 will zip by at about 77,000 miles per hour, which is unusually fast compared to most asteroids that approach Earth. After its brief appearance, 2001 FO32 will not approach our planet again until 2052, when it will pass by at about seven lunar distances, or 1.75 million miles.

NASA said that amateur astronomers will be able to gather information of their own about 2001 FO32. 

“The asteroid will be brightest while it moves through southern skies,” said Chodas. “Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere and at low northern latitudes should be able to see this asteroid using moderate size telescopes with apertures of at least 8 inches in the nights leading up to closest approach, but they will probably need star charts to find it.”

NASA scientists noted that the asteroid poses no threat of a collision with our planet now or for centuries to come.

More information about CNEOS, asteroids, and near-Earth objects can be found <a href="https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov">here</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The closest asteroid of 2021 will zip past Earth this weekend

The largest asteroid to approach our planet in 2021 will...

A new study from <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/">Durham University</a> reveals evidence that two infant bonobos may have been adopted by adult <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blue-orchard-bees-respond-to-fires-by-producing-more-females/">females</a> belonging to different social groups. This is the first time that bonobos, or any type of wild apes, have been known to adopt infants who were born outside of their social group.

According to the researchers, their findings give us greater insight into the parental instincts of one of humans' closest relatives and could help to explain the emotional reason behind why people readily adopt children who they have had no previous connection with.

Study lead author Dr. Nahoko Tokuyama of Kyoto University has spent more than ten years studying bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She said that bonobos never cease to amaze.

"Although cases of adoption were observed in non-human primates, the adoptive mother and adoptees almost exclusively belonged to the same social group," said Dr. Tokuyama.

"This may be because adoption is very costly behavior and because non-human primates form stable groups and have a good ability to recognize other group members.

"It's well known that groups of bonobos sometimes encounter and associate with each other, and that those belonging to different groups can interact tolerantly."

"However, I had never imagined that bonobos could adopt infants from outside of their groups, so these cases were quite surprising."

The experts observed four groups of wild bonobos between April 2019 and March 2020 in the Luo Scientific Reserve. The researchers identified two infants that appeared to have been adopted by female bonobos from separate social groups.

The adults, 18-year-old Marie and 52-57-year-old Chio, were seen providing maternal care to 2.6-year-old Flora and three-year-old Ruby. The adults were observed carrying, grooming, nursing,  and nesting with the young bonobos for periods longer than 12 months.

There was no aggression between members of Marie and Chio's social groups toward the young children. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA samples revealed that the caregivers were not maternally related to the infants.

The researchers said this caring nature is evidence of bonobos' strong attraction to infants and high tolerance of individuals, including immature youngsters, from outside of their normal group.

"Usually in wild animals adoptive mothers are related to orphaned infants or sometimes young females will adopt orphans to improve their own care-giving behaviours, which increases the future survival chances of their own offspring," explained study co-author Marie-Laure Poiret.

"This means that adoption in non-human animals can usually be explained by the adoptive mother's own self-interest or pre-existing social relationships."

"The cross-group adoption we have seen in the cases of both Chio and Ruby, and Marie and Flora, is as surprising as it is wonderful and perhaps helps us explain adoption among humans, which cannot be explained purely by the benefits received by adoptive mothers."

"Instead it is fair to say from the examples we have seen in bonobos that adoption in humans can be explained by a selfless concern for others and an emotional desire to offer care to someone who we have no previous connection with."

The researchers suggest that the potential adoptions may have been driven by bonobos' altruism, strong attraction to infants, and high tolerance towards individuals outside of their own social group.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wild bonobos adopt infants outside of their social group

A new study from Durham University reveals evidence that two...

Prior to the development of sophisticated tracking devices, the movements of animals in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crystals-from-earths-magma-ocean-found-in-greenland-rocks/">ocean</a> were largely unknown. According to a new study from <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, tracking technology has revealed some unexpected circling behavior among marine mammals. 

The experts report that all types of marine mammals, ranging from green sharks to penguins, apparently swim in circles. At this point, the researchers do not have an explanation for this mysterious behavior.

"We've found that a wide variety of marine megafauna showed similar circling behavior, in which animals circled consecutively at a relatively constant speed more than twice," said study lead author Tomoko Narazaki of the University of Tokyo.

The experts first discovered the circling movements in homing green turtles during a displacement experiment. The tracking study was designed to test the navigational skills of the animals, and nesting green turtles had been transferred from one location to another.

"To be honest, I doubted my eyes when I first saw the data because the turtle circles so constantly, just like a machine!" said Narazaki. "When I got back in my lab, I reported this interesting discovery to my colleagues who use the same 3D data loggers to study a wide range of marine megafauna taxa."

The study authors were stunned when they realized that various species of marine animals showed more or less the same circling behavior. The discovery is surprising, considering that swimming in a straight line is the most efficient way to travel. This indicates there must be some strategy involved in circling. 

The researchers observed some circling events at foraging areas, which suggests that the movements are somehow helpful in finding food. The team tracked a total of 272 circling events among four tiger sharks tagged off Hawaii. On the other hand, fur seals were found to use circling behaviors during the day, yet they feed mostly at night. 

There were also other circling events that appeared to be unrelated to foraging. For example, a male tiger shark circled around a female that he was approaching for courtship. Meanwhile, the evidence from the sea turtle study suggests that circling plays a role in navigation.

"What surprised me most was that homing turtles undertake circling behavior at seemingly navigationally important locations, such as just before the final approach to their goal," said Narazaki.

According to the researchers, it is possible the circling helps the animals to detect the magnetic field to navigate, just as submarines circle during geomagnetic observations. It is also quite possible that the circling serves more than one purpose.

The researchers noted that studies of such fine-scale movements, including circling, in more marine species might reveal important behaviors that have otherwise been overlooked. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mysterious circling behavior discovered among marine mammals

Prior to the development of sophisticated tracking devices, the movements...

Seaweed supplements can reduce livestock <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-moon-controls-methane-emissions-from-the-arctic-ocean/">methane</a> emissions without affecting meat quality, according to a new study published by <a href="https://plos.org/">PLOS</a>. The researchers found that feeding red algae to beef cattle lowered methane emissions by more than 50 percent. 

Sheep and cattle produce methane as a byproduct of digestion, which makes livestock farming a major source of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

A team led by Breanna Roque at the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/">University of California</a> set out to investigate whether red seaweed supplements could potentially reduce methane emissions produced by beef cattle.

The study was focused on 21 Angus-Hereford beef bullocks, who were fed their usual diet of hay, grains, and corn. The diets were supplemented with either zero, low, or high concentrations of red seaweed. 

The experts periodically measured the levels of methane, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide released by the young bulls for 21 weeks. The study revealed that the supplements reduced methane emissions by between 45 percent and 68 percent. 

The greatest reductions were associated with a high seaweed-supplemented, low-forage diet. This diet was found to reduce methane production by as much as 80 percent.

Testing showed that the seaweed supplements had no effect on the quality or flavor of the meat. In addition, the bulls sustained normal growth rates while consuming less food. This indicates that red seaweed supplemented diets could help farmers improve efficiency, reduce costs, and reduce methane emissions simultaneously, explained the researchers.

"There is more work to be done, but we are very encouraged by these results," said Roque. "We now have a clear answer to the question of whether seaweed supplements can sustainably reduce livestock methane emissions and its long-term effectiveness."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Seaweed supplements reduce livestock methane emissions

Seaweed supplements can reduce livestock methane emissions without affecting meat...

A groundbreaking new study has identified areas of the ocean that could be protected to help solve the biggest global challenges of this century- the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/greenland-ice-is-more-sensitive-to-climate-change-than-expected/">climate</a>, food, and biodiversity crises. The pinpointed regions could contribute to a more abundant supply of healthy seafood; provide a cheap, natural solution to address climate change; and protect valuable habitats and wildlife.

The research, which was conducted by an international team of 26 experts, identified specific areas that have the potential to protect over 80 percent of the habitats for endangered marine species, while increasing fishing catches by more than eight million metric tons. 

"Ocean life has been declining worldwide because of overfishing, habitat destruction and climate change. Yet only 7% of the ocean is currently under some kind of protection," said study lead author Dr. Enric Sala, explorer in residence at the <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/">National Geographic Society</a>.

"In this study, we've pioneered a new way to identify the places that - if strongly protected - will boost food production and safeguard marine life, all while reducing carbon emissions. It's clear that humanity and the economy will benefit from a healthier ocean. And we can realize those benefits quickly if countries work together to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030."

For their investigation, the multidisciplinary team of experts analyzed the world's unprotected ocean waters, focusing on the extent to which they are threatened by human activities like overfishing that could be reduced through protective measures.

Next, the researchers developed an algorithm to identify those areas where protections would deliver the greatest benefits for biodiversity protection, seafood production,  and climate mitigation. The team mapped these locations to create a "blueprint" that can be used by governments as they implement their commitments to protect nature.

"There is no single best solution to save marine life and obtain these other benefits. The solution depends on what society - or a given country - cares about, and our study provides a new way to integrate these preferences and find effective conservation strategies," said study co-author Dr. Juan S. Mayorga, a marine data scientist with the Environmental Market Solutions Lab at UC Santa Barbara and <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/pristine-seas/">Pristine Seas</a> at National Geographic Society.

The study precedes the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which is expected to take place in Kunming, China in 2021. The meeting will bring together representatives of 190 countries to finalize an agreement to end the world's biodiversity crisis. 

The treaty is expected to center around the primary goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet's land and ocean by 2030. Countries including Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom have already made commitments to help achieve this target on a national and global scale.

The report identifies highly diverse marine areas that face the greatest threats from human activities. These regions urgently need to become established as marine protected areas (MPAs). The priority locations are distributed throughout the ocean, but the majority are contained within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zones of coastal nations.

"Perhaps the most impressive and encouraging result is the enormous gain we can obtain for biodiversity conservation - if we carefully chose the location of strictly protected marine areas," said study co-author Dr. David Mouillot, who is a professor at the Université de Montpellier in France. 

"One notable priority for conservation is Antarctica, which currently has little protection, but is projected to host many vulnerable species in a near future due to climate change."

"The ocean covers 70% of the earth - yet, until now, its importance for solving the challenges of our time has been overlooked," said study co-author Dr. Boris Worm, who is a professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

"Smart ocean protection will help to provide cheap natural climate solutions, make seafood more abundant and safeguard imperiled marine species - all at the same time. The benefits are clear. If we want to solve the three most pressing challenges of our century - biodiversity loss, climate change and food shortages - we must protect our ocean."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Protecting the ocean can solve the three greatest challenges on Earth

A groundbreaking new study has identified areas of the ocean...

Females who are physically fit tend to burn more fat when they <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-cardiovascular-benefits-of-exercise-are-unlimited/">exercise</a> compared to men, according to new research by sports nutritionists at the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a>.

In two studies, the experts have investigated the factors that most influence an individual's capacity to burn body fat when engaging in endurance sports.

The team previously demonstrated that the body's carbohydrate stores deplenish quickly among endurance athletes competing in distance events. This means that tapping into the body's fat reserves becomes essential to an athletes' ability to perform.

The first study was designed to investigate the lifestyle and biological factors for optimal fat burning. The participants - 73 healthy men and women - took a cycling fitness test as the researchers measured key indicators.

The trial revealed that females, as well as those who were the most physically fit, burned fat more efficiently when exercising regardless of age.

In a second study, the researchers set out to determine which molecular factors in muscles and fat tissue control how fat is burned. The experts biopsied fat and muscle tissue from participants to analyze how differences in the proteins may affect the ability to burn fat.

The results showed that the proteins in muscle that are involved in breaking down stored fat into the smaller fatty acids, and proteins involved in transporting those fatty acids into the mitochondria in muscle, consistently correlated with a greater ability to burn fat. The findings could not explain why this process is more efficient among females.

"Our study found that females typically have a greater reliance upon fat as a fuel source during exercise than males," said Ollie Chrzanowski-Smith, the lead author of both studies.

"Understanding the mechanisms behind these sex differences in fuel use may help explain why being female seems to confer a metabolic advantage for insulin sensitivity, an important marker of metabolic health."

According to the researchers, the ability to burn fat as a fuel appears to protect against future weight gain, ensuring good weight management. On the other hand, they caution that the body's ability to burn fat should not be equated with an ability to lose weight. When it comes to weight loss, especially for overweight individuals, the study authors stress the importance of diet and exercise.

"Weight management is mainly about energy balance, so to lose weight we need to eat fewer calories than we expend through our resting metabolism and physical activity," explained Dr. Javier Gonzalez. 

"However, people with a higher ability to burn fat as a fuel seem to be somewhat protected against future weight gain, which might be related to how fat burning affects food intake and energy expenditure."

"Ultimately, a greater capacity to burn fat as a fuel has potential benefits for endurance athletes, by delaying the timepoint when they run out of precious carbohydrate stores."

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/28/2/ijsnem.28.issue-2.xml">International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Women who are physically fit burn fat faster

Females who are physically fit tend to burn more fat...

A new study from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> suggests that trillions of lightning strikes, occurring over a billion years, may have sparked life on our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-milky-way-may-be-filled-with-millions-of-planets-like-earth/">planet</a>. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Leeds, the experts propose that lightning bolts unlocked the phosphorus that was needed to create biomolecules, which formed the basis of life on Earth. 

Study lead author Benjamin Hess is a graduate student in Yale's Department of Earth &amp; Planetary Sciences. "This work helps us understand how life may have formed on Earth and how it could still be forming on other, Earth-like planets," said Hess.

Billions of years ago, phosphorus was mostly locked up inside insoluble minerals on Earth's surface, and was therefore not accessible. A key question that scientists have struggled to answer is how Earth's phosphorus get into a usable form to help create DNA, RNA, and other biomolecules.

The leading theory was once that meteorites containing the phosphorus mineral schreibersite crashed into our planet with enough frequency to build the foundation for life on Earth. The problem with this theory is that during the period when life is thought to have begun - between 3.5 and 4.5 billion years ago - meteorites were not crashing into Earth very frequently. 

According to Hess, schreibersite can also be found in certain glasses called fulgurites that form when lightning strikes the ground. The glass contains some of the phosphorus from surface rock, but in soluble form.

Today, our planet experiences about 560 million lightning flashes each year. Based on computer modeling, the researchers estimate that early Earth saw 1 to 5 billion lightning flashes every year - of which up to a billion would have struck the ground.

Over a billion years, this would add up to 0.1 to 1 quintillion strikes, along with a lot of accessible phosphorus. 

The lightning strike theory has other advantages as well, said the researchers. For example, the annual number of lightning strikes would have remained constant, unlike the number of meteorite collisions. "It makes lightning strikes a significant pathway toward the origin of life," said Hess.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Was life on Earth literally sparked by lightning?

A new study from Yale University suggests that trillions of...

Rare birds are being pushed out of their habitats in Colombia, which is home to more bird species than any other place on the planet. A new study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/deforestation-continues-across-indonesian-islands/">deforestation</a> is increasingly destroying the historical habitats of hundreds of types of birds. 

The investigation was focused on the impact of deforestation on 550 bird species, including 69 species that are only found in Colombia.

"Our study has shown an astonishing reduction in bird species habitat," said study lead author Dr. Pablo Negret."One third of the forest bird species in Colombia have lost at least a third of their historical habitat, and that's just using the most recent data we have available - from 2015."

"Moreover, 18 percent or 99 species have lost more than half of their historical habitat to date. By 2040, we expect this will increase to 38 percent or 209 species."

"Sadly, many of those species are endemic to the country and are not currently classified as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, suggesting that there are many unlisted species that face an imminent extinction threat from ongoing habitat loss."

Dr. Negret said the results are concerning but not surprising, as deforestation is one of the main drivers of habitat loss for many species in the tropics.

"We know that deforestation affects thousands of species in these ecosystems, but our attention is usually focused on a tiny fraction - threatened and charismatic species," explained Dr. Negret.

"This study provides more data on species previously thought abundant that are actually dwindling - hopefully we can shine a light on them, so they can be recognized as under threat and don't fall through the cracks."

The researchers used historical and present satellite data to analyze changes in forest cover. They also looked at geographic information on other variables associated with deforestation patterns.

According to study co-author Professor Martine Maron, the research will help predict future habitat loss for already-threatened species.

"This methodology, and the technologies behind it, allow us to identify places where future habitat loss is predicted," said Professor Maron.

"This means that we can reveal the locations where threatened species are most likely to lose precious habitat, and prioritise their protection. And, in a country with growing threats to rich bird diversity, it pays to be ahead of the game."

The researchers hope the Colombian government and NGOs working in this region will use their findings to guide conservation and provide protection for Colombia's birds.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biological-conservation">Biological Conservation</a>.

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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

"Astonishing reduction" in bird habitats found in Colombia

Rare birds are being pushed out of their habitats in...

Slow walkers are four times more likely to die from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urgent-wake-up-call-climate-change-linked-to-covid-19/">COVID-19</a>, and have more than double the risk of developing a severe infection, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://le.ac.uk/">University of Leicester</a>.

The research was focused on more than 400,000 middle-aged adults in the UK Biobank database. The experts analyzed the potential relationship between the self-reported walking pace of the individuals and their risk of developing severe or fatal COVID-19.

The investigation revealed that slow walkers with a normal body weight are almost 2.5 times more likely to contract severe COVID-19 and 3.75 times more likely to die from their infection compared to fast walkers with a normal weight.

Study lead author Tom Yates is a professor of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and Health at the University of Leicester.

"We know already that obesity and frailty are key risk factors for COVID-19 outcomes. This is the first study to show that slow walkers have a much higher risk of contracting severe COVID-19 outcomes, irrespective of their weight," said Professor Yates.

"With the pandemic continuing to put unprecedented strain on health care services and communities, identifying individuals at greatest risk and taking preventative measures to protect them is crucial."

The researchers also found that slow walkers with a healthy weight have a higher risk of both severe and fatal COVID-19 than fast walkers with obesity. The risk among slow walkers is consistently high, regardless of weight. 

"Fast walkers have been shown to generally have good cardiovascular and heart health, making them more resilient to external stressors, including viral infection but this hypothesis has not yet been established for infectious disease," said Professor Yates.

"Whilst large routine database studies have reported the association of obesity and fragility with COVID-19 outcomes, routine clinical databases do not currently have data on measures of physical function or fitness."

"It is my view that ongoing public health and research surveillance studies should consider incorporating simple measures of physical fitness such as self-reported walking pace in addition to BMI, as potential risk predictors of COVID-19 outcomes that could ultimately enable better prevention methods that save lives."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/ijo/">International Journal of Obesity</a>.

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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

Slow walkers are four times more likely to die from COVID-19

Slow walkers are four times more likely to die from...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> has revealed that melting glaciers are accelerating the rate of plant decomposition downstream, which has a major influence on the global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/repeated-fires-reduce-the-ability-of-forests-to-store-carbon/">carbon</a> cycle. This means that melting glaciers are potentially speeding up carbon emissions, and therefore climate change, in a reinforcing feedback loop.

According to the report, the loss of glaciers worldwide enhances the breakdown of complex carbon molecules in rivers. The study represents the first time glacier-fed mountain rivers have been linked to higher rates of plant decomposition.

As a result of climate change, mountain rivers have warmer temperatures and other conditions that are favorable for fungi to become established. The fungi break down plant leaves, wood, and other organic materials, releasing the carbon that is stored inside of them. 

The researchers measured this process in 57 rivers across six mountain ranges worldwide. Study lead author Sarah Fell said that similar patterns were discovered in all of the sites, which were located in Austria, Ecuador, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States.

"We found increases in the rate of organic matter decomposition in mountain rivers, which can then be expected to lead to more carbon release to the atmosphere," said Fell. "This is an unexpected form of climate feedback, whereby warming drives glacier loss, which in turn rapidly recycles carbon in rivers before it is returned to the atmosphere."

Mountain glaciers are shrinking at an unprecedented rate, and climate change will continue to drive ice loss throughout the remainder of this century. 

To investigate how critical river processes like plant decomposition and carbon cycling are impacted by glacier ice loss, the researchers designed an experiment using artists' canvas fabric to mimic plant materials like leaves that accumulate naturally in rivers. The canvas material was cotton, which is predominantly made up of cellulose, just like plants.

Canvas strips were left in the rivers for approximately one month, and then tested to determine how easily they could be ripped. The cotton material ripped more easily as fungi colonized them, which confirmed that decomposition is accelerated in warming rivers.

"Our finding of similar patterns of cellulose breakdown at sites all around the world is really exciting because it suggests that there might be a universal rule for how these river ecosystems will develop as mountains continue to lose ice," said study co-author Professor Lee Brown. "If so, we will be in much improved position to make forecasts about how river ecosystems will change in future."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

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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

Melting glaciers speed up plant decomposition, carbon emissions

A new study from the University of Leeds has revealed...

Today marks the annual celebration of the mathematical constant pi, which is named after π, the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. National Pi Day is honored with many different traditions that involve eating pizza and fruit pies, or even throwing them.

Pi represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference divided by its diameter. Since this ratio is the same for any circle, no matter its size, pi is essentially attached to the idea of circularity. 

In 1988, the first known Pi Day was organized by physicist Larry Shaw at the San Francisco Exploratorium. Each year, members of the public join the <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/">Exploratorium</a> staff to march around in circles and eat pie.

In Princeton, New Jersey, numerous events are held on March 14 to celebrate π and Albert Einstein's birthday, including a lookalike contest. In 1932, Einstein was recruited directly from Europe to work at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where he conducted research up until his death in 1955. 

It is interesting to note that while Einstein was born on Pi Day, another famous scientist died on the same day. Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died at the age of 76 on March 14, 2018.

The exact value of pi is impossible to express because it is an infinite decimal with no ending, but it is typically written as 3.14. The ubiquity of π is fascinating and mysterious, with the earliest textual evidence of its existence dating back to 1900 BC. Experts note that pi is beyond "universal" because π lives not only in this universe, but in any conceivable universe.

"What is astonishing about π is that it appears in many different mathematical contexts and across all mathematical areas," wrote Daniel Ullman of George Washington University.

"It turns out that π is the ratio of the area of a circle to the area of the square built on the radius of the circle. That seems like a coincidence, because π was defined to be a different ratio. But the two ratios are the same. π is also the ratio of the surface area of a sphere to the area of the square built on the diameter of the square."

According to <a href="https://www.livescience.com/">Live Science</a>, pi's ubiquity goes beyond math, and seems to pop up everywhere in the natural world too. 

"It appears everywhere there's a circle, of course, such as the disk of the sun, the spiral of the DNA double helix, the pupil of the eye, the concentric rings that travel outward from splashes in ponds." 

"Pi also appears in the physics that describes waves, such as ripples of light and sound. It even enters into the equation that defines how precisely we can know the state of the universe, known as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle," explained the <a href="https://www.livescience.com/amp/34132-what-makes-pi-special.html">report</a>.

If you need some ideas on how to celebrate this international holiday, check out some of the exciting activities that will be hosted by <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/pi">the Exploratorium</a>, including a "round" table and listening party. 

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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

Eat a pie, or throw one, it's National Pi Day!

Today marks the annual celebration of the mathematical constant pi,...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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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



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

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...