The Universe contains many types of massive formations that shape our understanding of how stars and galaxies group together. Astronomers have long studied these sprawling patterns, which give valuable clues about where matter gathers and where it remains thinly spread. 



These features define how cosmic evolution unfolds and guide current theories of how the universe expands.



Recently, a team of experts announced a giant find. This collection of galaxy clusters surpasses previous giants by orders of magnitude.



This study adds fresh insights by demonstrating that our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/interstellar-tunnel-found-that-connects-our-solar-system-to-other-stars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cosmic neighborhood</a> can still surprise us with unexpected details about how matter arranges itself across unimaginable distances.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-galaxy-clusters-distribution">Galaxy clusters distribution</h2>



Hans Böhringer from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (<a href="https://www.mpe.mpg.de/main" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MPE</a>) coordinated the effort in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Physics (<a href="https://www.mpp.mpg.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MPP</a>) and teams in Spain and South Africa. 



Their work relied on the ROSAT X-ray satellite’s survey, which singled out clusters of galaxies by detecting the energetic radiation these huge clusters emit. 



These data allowed the researchers to build a three-dimensional map of our cosmic vicinity.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/quipo_superstructure_3D-model_credit-MPE_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/quipo_superstructure_3D-model_credit-MPE_1s.webp" alt="Three-dimensional representation of the Quipu superstructure. Credit: MPE" class="wp-image-1960534"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Three-dimensional representation of the Quipu superstructure. Credit: MPE</figcaption></figure>



“If you look at the distribution of the galaxy clusters in the sky in a spherical shell with a distance of 416 to 826 million light-years, you immediately notice a huge structure that stretches from high northern latitudes to almost the southern end of the sky,” explains Böhringer.



By tracing each cluster’s position in space, his team pinpointed how matter spreads out in swirling patterns of galaxies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-quipu-superstructure">The Quipu superstructure</h2>



The researchers named this discovery “Quipu,” taking inspiration from the knotted string recording system once used by the Incas. 



Observed as a long strand with smaller threads branching off, the Quipu superstructure contains 68 galaxy clusters with a combined mass of about 2.4 × 10^17 solar masses. 



Its size of roughly 1.4 billion light-years makes Quipu the largest superstructure ever accurately measured, surpassing the Sloan Great Wall’s 1.1 billion light-years.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/quipo_superstructure_illustration_credit-MPE_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/quipo_superstructure_illustration_credit-MPE_1s.webp" alt="Distribution of galaxies (color coding) and galaxy clusters (black dots) in a spherical shell with a distance of 416 to 826 million light years surrounding us. The five superstructures are marked: 1 Quipu, 2 Shapley, 3 Serpens-Corona Borealis and Hercules (overlapping in the sky), 4 Sculptor-Pegasus. The area enclosed by white lines is shadowed by the disk of the Milky Way. Credit: MPE" class="wp-image-1960536"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Distribution of galaxies (color coding) and galaxy clusters (black dots) in a spherical shell with a distance of 416 to 826 million light years surrounding us. The five superstructures are marked: 1 Quipu, 2 Shapley, 3 Serpens-Corona Borealis and Hercules (overlapping in the sky), 4 Sculptor-Pegasus. The area enclosed by white lines is shadowed by the disk of the Milky Way. Credit: MPE</figcaption></figure>



“This breaks the size record of all reliably measured cosmic structures,” note the researchers who compared the finding with other known formations. 



“The Quipu superstructure, end to end, is slightly longer than the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/SDSS-3D-Universe-Map-Credit-Sloan-Digital-Sky-Survey-Team-NASA-NSF-DOE_fig2_357328983" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sloan Great Wall</a>,” says J. Richard Gott III at Princeton University, who helped discover the Sloan Great Wall. “Congratulations to them for finding it.” 



The name also reflects a connection to Chile, where many distance measurements took place, and where ancient quipus are showcased in Santiago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quipu-and-cosmological-principle">Quipu and cosmological principle</h2>



Across extremely large distances, matter is believed to spread out nearly evenly. At smaller scales of about a billion light-years, it collects in superclusters and leaves behind voids. 



This balance underpins the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cosmic-order-or-chaos-universe-expansion-may-follow-a-hidden-pattern/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cosmological principle</a>, which suggests that if we look far enough, the universe should appear uniform in every direction. 



Some experts argue these huge arrangements question that principle’s validity, with past findings triggering debates. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/great-sloan-wall_superstructure_SDSS_credit-MIT_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/great-sloan-wall_superstructure_SDSS_credit-MIT_1s.webp" alt="Sloan Great Wall of galaxies. SDSS 3D Universe Map Credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey Team, NASA, NSF, DOE." class="wp-image-1960531"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sloan Great Wall of galaxies is 1.1 billion light years long. SDSS 3D Universe Map Credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey Team, NASA, NSF, DOE.</figcaption></figure>



“Making observations in too small a part of the universe, which has been done earlier on, can be misleading,” says Böhringer. 



Another point comes from an ambiguous definition of the principle. “There is not yet one definition of the cosmological principle that every cosmologist agrees on,” says Alexia Lopez at the <a href="https://www.uclan.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Central Lancashire</a> in the UK. 



Meanwhile, Seshadri Nadathur at the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Portsmouth</a> notes that “some of those galaxies may drift apart from each other instead of collapsing in on themselves, in which case, according to some interpretations, it’s not really a bound structure.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosmic-measurements-and-consequences">Cosmic measurements and consequences</h2>



Quipu’s existence highlights how vast formations can shape calculations of cosmic expansion rates and the properties of primordial radiation left over from the early universe. 



Astronomers pay close attention to features like superclusters because they alter light paths and influence how we determine important parameters such as the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unknown-factors-are-accelerating-the-expansion-of-the-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hubble constant</a>. 



Small discrepancies can add up when researchers aim for precise numbers in modern cosmological studies.



“Even if these are only corrections of a few percent, they become increasingly important as the accuracy of cosmological observations increases,” emphasizes Gayoung Chon from the Max Planck Institute for Physics. 



This structure offers a reminder that the cosmos presents patterns on many scales. Those patterns appear to affect how we interpret data on the universe’s origin and shape the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-galactic-explosion-provides-clues-about-galaxy-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evolution of galaxies</a> in our vicinity and beyond.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quipu-and-the-incas">Quipu and the Incas</h2>



The Incas once managed vast territories using quipus, a system of knotted strings that helped track resources and information. 



Each knot arrangement acted like a code, revealing essential data in a form that required no written script.



Quipu’s naming borrowed that image of intertwined threads. 



Researchers see it as a nod to humanity’s long history of gathering knowledge, whether through knotted strings or advanced telescopes that trace the distribution of galaxies across cosmic depths.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



The discovery underscores how ongoing surveys might uncover more structures. 



Scientists are keen to see if similar patterns exist in parts of the sky that remain less charted, which could either confirm current theories or reveal new gaps in our understanding.



Future maps will rely on technology to gather clearer data from remote regions. 



These efforts reflect a human wish to capture our place in the universe, searching for the patterns that connect everything from particles to vast congregations of galaxies.



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Featured image: The open cluster Westerlund 1 is located roughly 12,000 light-years away in the southern constellation Ara (the Altar) where it resides behind a huge interstellar cloud of gas and dust. Credit: <a href="https://www.esa.int" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.19236" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy and Astrophysics</a>.



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Largest structure ever found in the universe is 1.4 billion light years long

The Universe contains many types of massive formations that shape our understanding of how stars and galaxies group together. Astronomers have long studied these sprawling patterns, which give valuable clues about where matter gathers and where it remains thinly spread. These features define how cosmic evolution unfolds and guide current theories of how the universe expands. Recently, a team of experts announced a giant find. This collection of galaxy clusters surpasses previous giants by orders of magnitude. This study adds fresh insights by demonstrating that our cosmic...

A,Helicopter,Dropping,Water,On,A,California,Wildfire,In,Rugged

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/record-breaking-wildfire-years-are-just-getting-started/">Wildfires</a> erupting in areas such as forests, grasslands, or prairies have recently grown in frequency and intensity – most likely due to climate change – increasingly impacting a variety of ecosystems, as well as human lives. Although wildfires are often considered ecologically beneficial, they also have many negative effects, such as degradation of air quality from the smoke and pollutants released.



In a new study, experts from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/langley/">NASA Langley Research Center</a>, in collaboration with scientists from the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA), have monitored the levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) in wildfire plumes in order to better understand the effects of wildfires on air quality.&nbsp;



While CO is directly generated during wildfires, O3 is produced from precursors emitted during wildfires and depends on various factors for its production, while their presence within wildfire plumes determines the plume age. Thus, reliably assessing its concentrations is crucial for better understanding how wildfires affect the air quality, weather, and climate.



The scientists measured the atmospheric CO and O3&nbsp;levels across the continental U.S. by using a&nbsp;remote sensor called “National Airborne Sounder Testbed-Interferometer” (NAST-I) that provided both high spatial and spectral resolution.&nbsp;



“The NAST-I, onboard NASA ER-2 aircraft, covers a space large enough to monitor the wildfire plume from its origination, evolution, and transport, and provides 3D distributions of the O3&nbsp;and CO concentrations at a higher spatial resolution compared to that of satellite infrared-ultraspectral sensors,” said study lead author Daniel K. Zhou, a physical scientist at NASA.



Based on their measurements, the researchers estimated the plume age by observing the differential concentrations ratios of O3&nbsp;and CO. “Our results showed enhanced levels of CO in the evolving plume as it was transported away from the site of the fire. The plume age was associated with the plume distance in both vertical and horizontal directions,” Zhou explained.



These findings – published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.JRS.16.034522">Journal of Applied Remote Sensing</a> - provide important insights into the effects of wildfires on the atmosphere and the steps needed to mitigate their negative impact on air quality and thus public health.&nbsp;



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

Measuring the effect of wildfires on air quality

Wildfires erupting in areas such as forests, grasslands, or prairies...

Endangered,Hawaiian,Green,Sea,Turtle

Besides climate change, one of the most serious threats to wildlife biodiversity is the illegal killing and trafficking of animals and plants. Although many existing laws aim to stop <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-sunscreens-lose-effectiveness-and-become-harmful/">wildlife trade</a>, it still remains one of the most lucrative illicit industries worldwide, with many endangered animals being exploited for their pelts, or used as medicine, aphrodisiacs, spiritual artifacts, or simply curiosities.&nbsp;



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a> (ASU) has now estimated that over 1.1 million sea turtles have been illegally killed and trafficked between 1990 and 2020, with as many as 44,000 turtles exploited each year during the past decade in 65 countries or territories, and in 44 of the world’s 58 major sea turtle populations. Surprisingly though, the study also revealed that the illegal exploitation of turtles has in fact declined by 28 percent over the last decade.



“The decline over the past decade could be due to increased protective legislation and enhanced conservation efforts, coupled with an increase in awareness of the problem or changing local norms and traditions,” said study co-first author Kayla Burgher, a doctoral student in Environmental Life Sciences at ASU.



Moreover, most of the poaching during the last ten years occurred in large, stable, and genetically diverse sea turtle populations. “What this means is that most of these sea turtles came from healthy, low-risk populations, which suggests that, with a few exceptions, current levels of illegal exploitation are likely not having a major detrimental impact on most major sea turtle populations throughout the world’s oceans,” explained study co-first author Jesse Senko, an assistant professor of Ecology and Animal Behavior at ASU.



However, according to Professor Senko, this apparent silver lining should be approached with caution. “Assessing any illegal activity is difficult, and the take and trade of sea turtles is no exception, especially when it becomes organized or connected to crime syndicates. Our assessment also did not include eggs or turtle products, such as bracelets or earrings made from sea turtle shells that could not be easily attributed to individual turtles.”



The scientists found that Vietnam was the most common country of origin for illegal turtle trafficking, while China and Japan were the main destination for the trafficked turtle products. During the three decades investigated, 95 percent of poached sea turtles came from two species, the green and hawksbill turtles, both of which are currently endangered.



“Our assessment is an important foundation for future research and outreach efforts regarding illegal sea turtle exploitation. We believe this study can help conservation practitioners and legislators prioritize conservation efforts and allocate their resources to best help protect sea turtle populations from harmful levels of exploitation worldwide,”&nbsp;Burgher concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/gcb.16378">Global Change Biology</a>.



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

Over one million sea turtles poached in the last three decades

Besides climate change, one of the most serious threats to...

White-necked jacobins are a charming species of hummingbird common to neotropical lowlands and cloud forests. When they’re juveniles, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/woodpeckers-and-other-birds-can-taste-sugar-but-how/">birds</a> all sport tri-color plumage with blue heads, green backs and white bellies. As the birds become adults, their coloration changes.&nbsp;



Male jacobins retain the stunning tricolor pattern, but females generally become a dull green with white bellies. Surprisingly, 20 percent of females buck the trend and remain brightly colored like males.&nbsp;



A new study published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.0332">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a> has explored the mystery of why some females look like males. Do the females colored like males act like them, and is there a benefit to their appearance?



Male white-necked jacobins are aggressive and territorial but the researchers saw none of this behavior among the females with male plumage. Males and females also exhibit different feeding behaviors. Males tend to hang around a few feeding spots for long times while females, regardless of plumage type, visit more feeding locations for briefer intervals.



“Females with male-like plumage don’t seem to be behaving any differently than other females. All evidence instead indicates that females that look like males are engaging in deceptive mimicry,' said study lead author Jay Falk, a postdoctoral researcher at University of Washington.



Beyond observing behaviors, Falk and other scientists measured the birds and found no difference between the average size of females with different plumage. The results showed that both were slightly smaller than males. 



The researchers also measured the birds' strength by testing their ability to lift a small chain of beads while flying. Both types of females had the same strength on average, while males could lift more weight.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



One possible benefit of the mimicry is that females that look like males experience less aggression than other females. In a previous study published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)01033-2">Current Biology</a>, Falk and colleagues showed that females with male-like coloration were able to spend longer periods eating at feeders.  



Going forward, the team wants to look at the genetics of the birds to see what differences there may be and how these changes have evolved. There are some reports that different species of hummingbirds might display the same mimicry, which means it may be more common than we know.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Female hummingbirds mimic males to avoid violence

White-necked jacobins are a charming species of hummingbird common to...

A new study published in the journal Nature describes how marine predators utilize anticyclonic (clockwise-rotating) ocean eddies to obtain food. The research suggests that marine predators follow anticyclonic eddies as they move throughout the open <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-insights-into-the-day-night-cycle-of-the-global-ocean/">ocean</a> - in pursuit of the biomass they contain. 



Study lead author Dr. Martin Arostegui is a postdoctoral scholar at the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> and the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory.



"We discovered that anticyclonic eddies - rotating clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere - were associated with increased pelagic predator catch compared with eddies rotating counter-clockwise and regions outside eddies," explained Dr. Arostegui. "Increased predator abundance in these eddies is probably driven by predator selection for habitats hosting better feeding opportunities."



The study's data consisted of over 20 years of commercial fishery information and satellite data from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. This nutrient-poor region sustains marine predators that are important to the Pacific Island nations.



The scientists studied marine predators in various latitudes and depths, including an ecologically diverse sample of warm and cold-blooded fishes. The team concluded that the anticyclonic eddies have an expansive effect on the food chain, from top to bottom.&nbsp;



"The idea that these eddies contain more food means they're serving as mobile hotspots in the ocean desert that predators encounter, target and stay in to feed," said Dr. Arostegui.



The study also highlights the interconnectedness between the surface and deep ocean, which is essential to consider when contemplating deep sea fishery management. Knowing more about deep sea prey fisheries and the ecosystem benefits of deep ocean eddies will help managers make more informed decisions.



"The ocean benefits predators, which then benefit humans as a food source," said Dr. Arostegui. "Harvesting the food that our food eats, is something we need to understand in order to ensure the methods are sustainable for both the prey and the predators that rely on them. That is critical to ensuring both ocean health and human wellbeing as we continue to rely on these animals for food."



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

Ocean eddies help marine predators find food

A new study published in the journal Nature describes how...

The microbes that reside in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome, have a role in our gastrointestinal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-nature-affect-human-health-in-urban-areas/">health</a>. Gut microbes also influence the immune system, the endocrine system, our mental health and the development of several health conditions - including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.&nbsp;



Previous studies have shown that exposure to airborne pollutants in adult humans and in animal models is associated with changes in the composition and function of the gut microbiome. There have not, however, been any investigations into the potential effects of air pollution on the development of the gut microbiome in infants. This community of microorganisms develops within the first two to three years of life and is influenced by various factors.&nbsp;



A new study led by researchers from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado at Boulder</a> has now shown that the quality of air inhaled by an infant during its first six months of life may be one of these factors. The study,&nbsp;published in the journal&nbsp;Gut Microbes, is the first to show a link between inhaled pollutants – such as those from traffic, wildfires and industry – and changes in infant microbial health during this critical window of development.



“This study adds to the growing body of literature showing that air pollution exposure, even during infancy, may alter the gut microbiome, with important implications for growth and development,” said study senior author Tanya Alderete, assistant professor of Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder.



Newborns have a relatively small population of resident gut microbes, but this changes rapidly in their first months of life. Exposure to mother’s milk, solid food, antibiotics and other environmental influences shapes the composition of the microbial community that becomes established in the gut. Within the first two to three years of life, a child’s microbiome becomes fully developed.



Those microbes, and the metabolites, or by-products, they produce when they break down food or chemicals in the gut, influence the bodily systems that affect , among other things, appetite, insulin sensitivity, immunity, mood and cognition. While many are beneficial, some microbiome compositions have been associated with diseases and chronic illnesses.



“The microbiome plays a role in nearly every physiological process in the body, and the environment that develops in those first few years of life sticks with you,” said first author Maximilian Bailey, who graduated in May with a master’s in Integrative Physiology and is now a medical student at Stanford University.



In order to obtain data on infant gut microbes, the researchers collected fecal samples from 103 healthy, six-month old, primarily breast-fed Latino infants who were enrolled in the Southern California Mother’s Milk Study. They then used genetic sequencing techniques to identify the species of bacteria that were present in the samples.



Using their street addresses and data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System, which records hourly data from monitoring systems, the researchers estimated exposure to air pollution for each infant. Specifically, the researchers considered levels of PM2.5 and PM10 (fine inhalable particles from things like factories, wildfires and construction sites) and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), a gas largely emitted in vehicle exhaust fumes.



The results of the analysis showed that increased exposure during the first six months to the air pollutants considered was associated with changes in the infant gut microbiota at multiple taxonomic levels. Different genera and species of microbes were characteristic of infants exposed to higher levels of air pollution.&nbsp;



Many of these infant gut bacteria associated with exposure to polluted air have previously been linked with adverse health outcomes such as systemic inflammation, gastroenteritis, multiple sclerosis, and mental health disorders. Further, several of the identified taxa are involved in the production of important gut microbial derived metabolites that play an integral role in human physiology, state the authors.



“Overall, we saw that ambient air pollution exposure was associated with a more inflammatory gut-microbial profile, which may contribute to a whole host of future adverse health outcomes,” said Alderete.



For instance, infants with the highest exposure to PM2.5 had 60 percent less&nbsp;Phascolarctobacterium, a beneficial bacterium known to decrease inflammation, support gastrointestinal health and aid in neurodevelopment. Those with the highest exposure to PM10 had 85 percent more of the microorganism&nbsp;Dialister,&nbsp;which is associated with inflammation.



The researchers state that inhaled pollutants have the potential to reach the gut because they first become trapped in mucus in the respiratory tract, after which ciliary action moves the mucus up to the back of the throat, where it is ingested down the esophagus and into the gut. Infants are particularly vulnerable to the health hazards of air pollution because they breathe faster and their gut microbiome is just taking shape. “This makes early life a critical window where exposure to air pollution may have disproportionately deleterious health effects."



It is often people from racial minority groups and low-income communities who tend to work, live and attend school in areas closer to busy highways or factories, placing them at even greater risk. One 2018 Environmental Protection Agency study found that communities of color are exposed to as much as 1.5 times more airborne pollutants than their white counterparts.



“Our findings highlight the importance of addressing the impact of pollution on disadvantaged communities and point to additional steps all families can take to protect their health,” said Alderete, who hopes her research will influence policymakers to move schools and affordable housing projects away from pollution sources.



In terms of the steps families can take to protect their health, Alderete advises the following to reduce exposure to both indoor and outdoor pollutants:



<ul><li>avoid walking outdoors in high-traffic zones;</li><li>consider a low-cost air-filtration system, particularly for rooms children spend a lot of time in;</li><li>while cooking, open the windows;</li><li>and for new moms, breastfeed for as long as possible.</li></ul>



“Breast milk is a fantastic way to develop a healthy microbiome and may help offset some of the adverse effects from environmental exposures,” Alderete said.



According to the researchers, their results suggest air pollution may be an important factor in the development of the gut microbiome. The findings have significant public health relevance since 99 percent of the world’s population is estimated to live in areas where air quality guidelines are not met.



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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

Pollution alters gut microbes in babies in dangerous ways

The microbes that reside in our intestines, collectively known as...

Although it is known that parents control the dietary choices of their children during early childhood, the increasing independence experienced during adolescence brings with it more freedom when it comes to food choices. This time of life also brings enormous physical and emotional changes in a young person, which is often associated with an increase in comfort eating, or eating as a means to relieve stress.&nbsp;



A recent study, published in the <a href="http://www.jneb.org/">Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior</a>, investigates how various feeding practices used by parents influence the emotional eating behavior of vulnerable adolescents. The researchers explored the association between intentional parental feeding practices, such as monitoring an adolescent’s caloric intake or restricting access to certain foods, and the adolescent’s emotional eating. In addition, the role of the parent’s own eating behavior was investigated.&nbsp;



“Emotional eating was previously found to be more learned than inherited. This study examined not only the interaction between parents when feeding their children, but also what children learned from watching their parents eat,” said study lead author Joanna Klosowska, an expert in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at Ghent University.



The initial study was conducted in 2017 with 218 families. Additionally, longitudinal data collected in 2013 were also available. One parent from each family completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire, as well as the Child Feeding Practices Questionnaire, and both adolescent and parent completed the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Emotion regulation was assessed with the Dutch version of the child-reported FEEL-KJ questionnaire. The adolescent's body weight and height were measured by researchers.



Over the four years between 2013 −2017, covering the years from late childhood to mid-teens, adolescents reported a considerable increase in emotional eating, from below the average in 2013 to above the average in 2017, according to the norms for the Dutch population. Emotional eating is characterized by reaching for food in times of stress or discomfort, as a way of regulating one’s emotions, easing one’s emotional distress and finding comfort. Using food in this way during adolescence can lead to life-long problems with weight control.



During the same time period, adolescents who battled to regulate their own emotions were more likely to show emotional eating patterns. Emotional regulation is the process whereby a person regulates the emotions they have, how they experience them and how they express them. Resorting to emotional eating, or “eating one’s stress away” can be seen as a maladaptive way of regulating one’s emotions during adolescence.&nbsp;



The study found that when parents use food as a reward, or restrict and monitor an adolescent’s access to food, this is associated with an increased tendency by the adolescent to use emotional eating as a coping strategy. On the other hand, involving a child in meal preparations had the opposite effect – it was associated with higher levels of emotional regulation and lower levels of emotional eating in the adolescent participants.



Additionally, the researchers found a negative link between the extent to which parents restrained their own eating behavior and the use of emotional eating by their adolescent children. This means that the more a parent limited his or her own consumption of food for the purpose of health or dietary goals, the less the adolescent child resorted to emotional eating as a means of regulating his or her own emotions.&nbsp;



According to Klosowska, restrictive parenting was most damaging, whereas restrained eating by the parent seemed to be the most beneficial. Clearly, the different feeding practices used by parents can influence adolescent eating behavior, particularly in instances of increased vulnerability to maladaptive approaches to emotional regulation.&nbsp;



“This study suggests that parents continue to play an important role in their child's eating behavior into their teen years,” said Klosowska. “Additional research is needed to understand the [way in which] restrained eating demonstrated by a parent impacts the emotional eating of a child.”



The full article is available at: <a href="https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(22)00371-2/fulltext">https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(22)00371-2/fulltext</a>.&nbsp;



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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

Emotional eating by teens is influenced by their parents

Although it is known that parents control the dietary choices...

The pine rockland ecosystem of southern Florida evolved atop ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-played-a-key-role-in-shifting-ancient-coral-reefs/">coral reef</a> systems and came to support an abundance of rare plant and animal species. The limestone substrate of the dead corals is good for trees but, unfortunately, it’s a good foundation for houses as well. Human development has led to the destruction of much of the pine rocklands and poses a threat to the wildlife that makes them home.&nbsp;



The rim rock crowned snake, Tantilla oolitica, is one of the rare species to live in the pine rocklands. Since 1975, the small snake has been listed as threatened in Florida, and efforts are ongoing to list it federally.&nbsp;



Given the rareness of the snake, it was a surprise when a rim rock crowned snake was found dead, and with prey still sticking out of its mouth. The small snake, it seems, was trying to swallow a giant centipede when it died.



“I was amazed when I first saw the photos,” said study co-author Coleman Sheehy, herpetology collection manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History. “It’s extremely rare to find specimens that died while eating prey, and given how rare this species is, I would never have predicted finding something like this. We were all totally flabbergasted.”



The snake was discovered by a visiting hiker in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo, and was given to the Florida Museum for analysis.



It seemed likely that the snake died of asphyxiation from swallowing a too large prey animal, but the scientists couldn’t be sure without looking closer. A traditional autopsy would require cutting the snake open and damaging a valuable specimen. Modern technology, however, offers some alternatives, and the experts chose to conduct a CT scan.&nbsp;



The results of the CT scan showed that the centipede bit the predatory snake but it was choking that likely caused the reptile’s demise. The CT scans were made <a href="https://www.morphosource.org/concern/media/000435339?locale=en">available</a> online for free and the scientists hope that others will glean more valuable information from them.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3857">Ecology</a>.



Image Credit: Photo by Drew Martin/ <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/north-americas-rarest-snake-found-biting-off-more-than-it-could-chew/">https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/north-americas-rarest-snake-found-biting-off-more-than-it-could-chew/</a>



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rare snake found with last meal in its mouth

The pine rockland ecosystem of southern Florida evolved atop ancient...

Acqua,Alta,In,Venice

Although great strides have been made in flood and drought risk mitigation, their impact on the world population is increasing. The effect is seen most clearly when a second climate disaster hits an already damaged area.&nbsp;



By analyzing 29 pairs of flood events and 15 droughts worldwide, the researchers set out to determine how risks were managed between the first and second events.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The scientists found that, in many cases, the risk factors did not improve. However, Barcelona and Central Europe stuck out as successful, even though these areas remain vulnerable.&nbsp;



"The improvements in Barcelona's rainwater network over the last twenty years have been decisive in alleviating the effects of floods in the city. In fact, while in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona there has been a slight increase in flooding since 1981, this trend is negative in Barcelona. However, this is not enough," said study co-author Professor María del Carmen Llasat.



Flood mitigation actions in Germany and Austria were also considered successful. Barcelona, Germany, and Austria have a couple things in common: an investment in infrastructure such as dykes and stormwater reservoirs, and better government engagement, including warning systems.



However, even these mitigation measures come with risks. Professor Llasat explained: "Large investments such as those made in the city of Barcelona or in Central Europe are not possible for everyone. In fact, they would not be desirable either. Recent studies have shown that they can lead to a false sense of security (especially in the case of river flooding), as they increase the occupation of flood zones and thus the associated risk."



The experts believe the way to true success is community-based flood mitigation that involves nature-based solutions.



"It is necessary for the administration to improve its knowledge of risk, the distribution of the most flood-prone areas in the city, how to act when there are heavy rains, etc.," said Professor Llasat.



"Regarding the citizens, it is necessary to become aware that this risk will increase with climate change and that we will need citizen participation. Education in schools, compulsory information on flood risks, improved warnings to the population and guidelines on how to act both preventively and during the emergency are also some of the points that should be considered to reduce the impact of these natural events."&nbsp;



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04917-5">Nature</a>.



---



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

As flood risks increase worldwide, who is prepared?

Although great strides have been made in flood and drought...

A new comprehensive study on sleep disorders in older adults has been conducted by researchers at <a href="https://www.concordia.ca/">Concordia University</a>. The team has found that middle-aged and older adults who suffer from insomnia symptoms are more likely to develop <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digital-devices-can-actually-improve-our-memory-skills/">memory</a> loss disorders, such as dementia.



By using data from the <a href="https://www.clsa-elcv.ca/">Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging</a>, the experts were able to collect information from over 26,000 adults between the ages of 45 and 85.&nbsp;



To conduct the analysis, the researchers compared self-reported evaluations from an initial report in 2019 and a follow-up evaluation in 2022. They found that individuals with declining sleep quality in the three years between evaluations were more likely to report memory decline.&nbsp;



“We found that insomnia specifically was related to worse memory performance compared to those who have some insomnia symptoms alone or no sleep problems at all. This deficit in memory was specific, as we also looked at other cognitive function domains such as attention span multi-tasking.[sic] We only found differences in memory," said study co-lead author Nathan Cross, a postdoctoral fellow at the Sleep, Cognition and Neuroimaging Lab.



According to the analysis, individuals with worsening insomnia had more psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, due to their insomnia. They were also more likely to have a higher BMI and smoke.&nbsp;



The researchers discovered that women with insomnia perform better than men with the disease, which puts men at a greater risk of developing memory decline.&nbsp;



Despite the grim findings, the authors are optimistic about the results of their study. According to Cross, the good news is that sleep disorders like insomnia can be treated.&nbsp;



“This highlights the importance of properly diagnosing and managing insomnia as early as possible in older adults. Adequately treating insomnia disorder might become an important preventive measure for cognitive decline and mitigate the incidence of dementia in later life," said Cross.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/advance-article/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsac176/6649765?guestAccessKey=be5fbfeb-51c4-4760-b838-33a967348324">SLEEP</a>.



---



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

Insomnia may lead to memory loss in adults

A new comprehensive study on sleep disorders in older adults...

Shouting,A,Angry,Chimpanzee.,The,Chimpanzee,(pan,Troglodytes),Shouts,In

Rainforest trees are supported by massive roots forming large flat buttresses. Male <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-use-surprisingly-complex-vocal-sequences/">chimpanzees</a> often drum with their hands and feet on these roots, sending messages that can be heard across over a kilometer through these dense, humid forests. Now, a team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St Andrews</a> has found that chimpanzees in Uganda’s Budongo Forest have their own signature style when drumming on these three roots.&nbsp;



These specific rhythms allow the chimpanzees to send information revealing who is where, and what they are doing. Interestingly, only drumming activities performed while traveling appear to carry specific signatures, suggesting that chimpanzees can control whether they want to reveal their identity and location to conspecifics.&nbsp;



“We could often recognize who was drumming when we heard them, and it was a fantastic way to find the different chimpanzees we were looking for – so if we could do it, we were sure they could too. It’s lovely to finally show how it works,” said study senior author Catherine Hobaiter, a primatologist at St Andrews.



“One thing that has always been a puzzle is why chimpanzees greet each other but very rarely seem to say goodbye. Our results might help to explain this – chimpanzees are rarely really out of contact, even when kilometers apart these long-distance signals allow them to keep in touch with who is where. It’s as though they have their own social media that allows them to check in through the day.”



The investigation revealed that chimps use different patterns of beats, with some individuals having a regular rhythm resembling that of rock or blues drummers, while others having more syncopated and variable jazz-like rhythms. They often combine these drums with long-distance calls, called “pant-hoots.”



“This really looks like chimp social media. Indeed, we also found that chimpanzees drum more often when they’re alone or in small groups. This means that they drum to know where others are and decide whether to join them or not,” said study lead author Vesta Eleuteri, a PhD student in the evolution of cognition and communication at the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> and visiting researcher at St Andrews.&nbsp;



&nbsp;“I was surprised that I was able to recognize who was drumming after just a few weeks in the forest. But their drumming rhythms are so distinctive that it’s easy to pick up on them. For example, Tristan – the John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) of the forest – makes very fast drums with many evenly separated beats. His drumming is so fast that you can barely see his hands! Ben, the alpha male, also has a peculiar style: he makes two closely following beats separated by one or two more distant beats.”



In future research, the scientists aim to investigate group differences to clarify whether there are different drumming “cultures” among different chimpanzee populations.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.07.013">Animal Behavior</a>.



---



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

Chimpanzees use distinctive drumming styles to communicate

Rainforest trees are supported by massive roots forming large flat...

Long have humans gazed at birds with a mix of envy and awe. It was these feathered fliers that first inspired us to take to the air in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-worlds-largest-flying-dinosaur-jumped-before-takeoff/">flying</a> machines. Still, even now, much of how birds are able to move across the skies with such grace remains largely mysterious.&nbsp;



In a new study, engineers have explored how birds can maneuver so well in flight. Study lead author Christina Harvey is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a>.



“Birds easily perform challenging maneuvers and they’re adaptable, so what exactly about their flight is most useful to implement in future aircraft?” said Professor Harvey.&nbsp;



After earning a bachelors of science in engineering, Harvey focused her research on gulls as she pursued a master's degree in zoology. “Gulls are very common and easy to find, and they’re really impressive gliders,” she said.&nbsp;



Harvey’s professional interest in gulls has continued as she finished her PhD in aerospace engineering and carried out more research on the birds.&nbsp;



In a paper published earlier this year in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04477-8">Nature</a>, Harvey and other scientists looked at flight dynamics of 22 bird species. Unlike most studies that focus on aerodynamics, the researchers looked at other factors as well.&nbsp;



Some airplanes are designed to be stable - like a jetliner that returns to steady flight after turbulence. Planes like fighter jets that must maneuver quickly are better being designed as unstable. The research shows that birds are capable of both unstable and stable flight, unlike planes.&nbsp;



Harvey’s new research builds upon this previous study. The team used 3D models of gulls and gull wings inside a wind tunnel to look at how the birds respond to perturbations while in flight. The research is important in understanding how gulls fly, but also in how we might design an airplane modeled after birds.&nbsp;



Professor Harvey expressed one of the lingering questions that is raised by her research: “The flight qualities analysis asks: if you built an aircraft exactly like a gull, would a human be able to fly it?”



Many other questions about bird flight and its application to engineering still remain as the researchers continue their studies.&nbsp;



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2204847119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bird flight inspires the design of future aircraft

Long have humans gazed at birds with a mix of...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.ecu.edu.au/">Edith Cowan University</a> (ECU) have recently discovered that noise may help enhance <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forgetting-may-actually-be-a-form-of-learning/">learning</a> for some people. More specifically, the experts explored the effects of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) in several situations.



Transcranial random noise stimulation is not what we typically think of as noise. Impulses come from electrodes attached to the head, emitting a weak current that passes through certain sections of the brain.&nbsp;



Study lead author Dr. Onno van der Groen explained the potential benefits of tRNS: "The effect on learning is promising: it can speed up learning and help people with neurological conditions. So, people with learning difficulties you can use it to enhance learning rate, for example."



"It's also been trialed on people with visual deficits, such as after stroke and traumatic brain injury. When you add this type of stimulation during learning, you get better performance, faster learning and better attention afterwards as well."



Dr. van der Groen said that tRNS works by utilizing neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to make new connections. "If you learn something, there has to be neuroplastic changes in your brain, which allows you to learn this information. And this is a tool to enhance this neuroplasticity."



"If you do 10 sessions of a visual perception task with the tRNS and then come back and do it again without it, you'll find you perform better than the control group who hasn't used it."



However, transcranial random noise stimulation won't create a "new level" of intelligence. "The question is, if you're neurotypical, are you already performing at your peak," said Dr. Van der Groen.



"There's a case study where they tried to enhance the mathematical skills of a super mathematician; with him, it didn't have much of an impact on his performance, presumably because he is already a top performer in that area. But it could be used if you're learning something new."



Although research is still in the beginning stages, Dr. van der Groen feels that due to its safety, more research will be conducted in the future to explore the medical benefits of this new technology.&nbsp;



"We're working on a study where we send the equipment to people, and they apply everything themselves remotely. So in that regards, it's quite easy to use."



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763422001919?via%3Dihub">Neuroscience</a>.



---



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

"Random noise" may provide a new path to faster learning

Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) have recently discovered that...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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