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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Todd highlighted the practical applications of this knowledge. 



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

When Jake Esselstyn, Professor of Biology at <a href="https://www.lsu.edu/">Louisiana State University</a>, began his work on shrews on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, he wanted to investigate the ecological and evolutionary factors that might explain shrew <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-find-a-hidden-diversity-among-iberian-spiders/">diversity</a> on the island. 



At that time, there were six species of shrews in the genus Crocidura that had been identified there, and he thought he would be able to clarify how they had arisen on the island. “I was interested in questions about how shrews interacted with their environment, with each other, how local communities were formed."



Although Professor Esselstyn’s research began in 2010, he soon realized that the task of analyzing ecological and evolutionary relationships was impossible because there were clearly many undescribed species present. So began ten years of field trips to collect as many shrew specimens as possible from mountain and lowland sites on the island.&nbsp;



“It was overwhelming because for the first several years, we couldn’t figure out how many species there were,” he said.



Shrews are small, insectivorous mammals that are most closely related to hedgehogs and moles. During Esselstyn’s field trips he and his research team collected more than 1,200 shrews using pitfall traps. All of them weighed less than an AA battery, ranging from about 3 grams (0.1 oz) to about 24 grams (0.85 oz). The largest species had an average body length of 95 mm (about 3.7 in).



While Professor Esselstyn did identify and describe a new species of shrew in 2019, the picture became clearer once the research team had examined the genetic and morphological data from the specimens they collected between 2010 and 2018, and added data from old specimens that had been collected in 1916. More than 1,400 shrews were analyzed and this resulted in the identification of 21 different shrew species on Sulawesi, 14 of them being brand new to science.&nbsp;



The details of the 14 new, endemic species of shrews in the genus Crocidura have been published recently in the <a href="https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/7">Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History</a>. This discovery represents the largest number of new mammals described in a scientific paper since 1931, some 90 years ago.&nbsp;



“It's an exciting discovery, but was frustrating at times,” said Esselstyn, curator of mammals at the LSU Museum of Natural Science and associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “Usually, we discover one new species at a time, and there is a big thrill that comes from it. But in this case, it was overwhelming … ”



Now that he feels he has a better handle on the shrew diversity of the island, Professor Esselstyn is interested in exploring the geographic, geological and biological factors that have contributed to Sulawesi's extraordinary shrew biodiversity. The island is shaped rather like a lower-case letter k and this shape has contributed to the radiation and diversification of shrew species, he said. “There are consistent boundaries between species ... whether you're looking at frogs or macaques or mice. It suggests some sort of shared environmental mechanisms.”



Researchers have found at least seven such zones – roughly, the island's central mass, the three “legs” of the k, and three zones on the long, bent “neck” of the island. Genetic analysis would be crucial in understanding the evolution of this diversity of shrew species. It will enable the researchers to determine how long ago or recently similar species diverged and whether they’ve been in regular contact with each other since then.



“It's a difficult problem. But I think we can do it now that sequencing genomes is relatively low-cost,” he said. “A few years ago, we couldn't have done it but it's relatively feasible now.”



“Taxonomy serves as the foundation of so much biological research and conservation effort. When we don't know how many species there are or where they live, our capacity to understand and preserve life is severely limited. It's essential that we document and name that diversity,” Esselstyn said. “If we can make discoveries of this many new species in relatively well-known groups like mammals, imagine what the undocumented diversity is like in less conspicuous organisms.”



---



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

Breakthrough study describes 14 new species of shrews

When Jake Esselstyn, Professor of Biology at Louisiana State University,...

According to a new study under review for the journal <a href="https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1139035/v1_covered.pdf?c=1640020576">Nature</a>, within days after infection, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/omicron-is-surging-but-may-cause-less-severe-illness/">SARS-CoV-2</a> can spread well beyond the respiratory tract, throughout the entire body, reaching organs such as the heart or the brain, where it can survive for months. These findings could be an explanation of the phenomenon called “long Covid,” which affects many Covid-19 survivors for several months after the infection.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This is remarkably important work,” said&nbsp;Ziyad Al-Aly, director of the clinical epidemiology center at the <a href="https://www.va.gov/st-louis-health-care/">Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System</a> in Missouri. “For a long time now, we have been scratching our heads and asking why long Covid seems to affect so many organ systems. This paper sheds some light, and may help explain why long Covid can occur even in people who had mild or asymptomatic acute disease.”



A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/">US National Institutes of Health</a> (NIH) studied tissues taken during autopsies of 44 patients who died after being infected with SARS-CoV-2, and found evidence that the virus had spread far beyond the respiratory tract, and was present in several other organs, such as the heart or brain, even 230 days after infection.



“We show that SARS-CoV-2 is widely distributed, even among patients who died with asymptomatic to mild COVID-19, and that virus replication is present in multiple pulmonary and extrapulmonary tissues early in infection,” the study authors wrote.



According to the scientists, in an early “viremic” phase of infection, the virus may be present in the bloodstream and seeded throughout the body, including across the brain-body barrier, even in patients experiencing mild or no symptoms at all. Although the reasons for this remain unclear, the scientists believe that organs outside the respiratory tract may have less efficient innate and adaptive immune responses to the virus, and can thus provide a perfect ground for it to multiply.



Further research is needed to clarify whether these findings hold for people with long Covid who are still alive and struggle with long-term symptoms. Understanding how the virus spreads to multiple brain areas will be particularly important in order to clarify the nature of long Covid and find proper therapies.



“It can help us understand the neurocognitive decline or ‘brain fog’ and other neuropsychiatric manifestations of long Covid,” said Dr. Al-Aly. “We need to start thinking of SARS-CoV-2 as a systemic virus that may clear in some people, but in others may persist for weeks or months and produce long Covid - a multifaceted systemic disorder.” ---



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

Covid-19 can persist in organs for months after infection

According to a new study under review for the journal...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26232-9">Nature Communications</a> has found a surprising connection between the worsening wildfires in the Western United States and Arctic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-polar-ice-is-warping-earths-crust/">sea ice loss</a>. As polar ice melts from July to October, sunlight warms the increasingly iceless, surrounding areas, and ultimately brings heat and fire-favorable conditions to distant states such as California, Washington, or Oregon in late autumn and early winter.&nbsp;



"It's not a perfect analogy, but teleconnections like this are a bit like the butterfly effect," said study co-author Hailong Wang, an Earth scientist at the <a href="https://www.pnnl.gov/">Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory</a> (PNNL).



"Climate conditions in one part of the world can, over time, influence climate outcomes from thousands of kilometers away. In our case, we find the Arctic region and the western United States are connected by this relationship. Regional land and sea surface warming caused by sea ice loss distantly triggers hotter and drier conditions in the West later in the year."



By analyzing data on recorded sea ice levels from the last four decades, Wang and his colleagues discovered that, as Arctic sea ice melts and the surrounding regions warm, a vortex appears in the atmosphere above the heated areas, spinning counterclockwise like a cyclone. This powerful vortex pushes the polar jet stream out of its typical pattern, diverting moist air away from the western United States, and causing a second vortex to emerge. This new vortex, spinning clockwise, brings droughts, extreme heat, and fire-favorable conditions.



As the Arctic continues warming due to climate change, it can sharpen the contrast between these two distant yet connected systems, further exacerbating conditions in already wildfire-ravaged areas.&nbsp;



"This dynamics-driven connection warms and dries out the western United States region," said study lead author Yufei Zou, a data scientist who was a postdoctoral fellow at PNNL when the study was conducted. "By uncovering the mechanism behind that teleconnection, we hope those in charge of managing forests and preparing for wildfires will be more informed."



--



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

Arctic sea ice loss influences wildfires in the western US

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications has...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.unitn.it/en">University of Trento</a> has found that banded archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix), a species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/debilitating-human-parasite-is-spread-to-dogs-through-fish/">fish</a> from Indo-Pacific Asia, are able to distinguish between numbers. This basic, innate sense of numbers is similar to that of many birds and mammals.



“There is a debate regarding the existence of a number sense (in fish), based on the fact that it is empirically impossible to separate numerical information from all other continuous properties at once,” said study lead author&nbsp;Davide Potrich, a cognitive scientist at the University of Trento.



&nbsp;“Several experiments have tried to address this issue, but usually not in a complete way. What is unique in our study is that we controlled for non-numerical variables in the best way possible.”



In order to test whether they could distinguish between numbers, Dr. Potrich and his colleagues placed banded archerfish in tanks beneath monitor screens which displayed two sets of dots. Repeatedly showing the fish one set of three dots and one of six dots, the researchers succeeded in training the archerfish to consistently pick one of the sets by spitting water jets on the computer screen (a trick the archerfish use to snare prey).&nbsp;



To ensure that other factors such as the elements’ size, the overall area and perimeter, or the density and sparsity of the dots were not influencing the fishes' decisions, the scientists developed software that randomly changed the dots size, their arrangement, and other details for each individual test.



The findings were striking: regardless of these variations, the fish were still able to distinguish between the numbers, showing a remarkable ability for “spontaneous use of abstract numerical information,” as the study authors put it.&nbsp;



Interestingly, when different sets of numbers were presented, the fish tended to default to picking the largest or smallest number (depending on their previous training), rather than their usual number. They did this around three-quarters of the time.



Thus, if trained to pick six over three, the fish would generally pick nine over six or eight over four, when presented with these different choices. Although more research is needed, these findings may suggest that archerfish have the capacity to instinctively understand which numbers are bigger than others, and in what relationship with each other different numbers are.



A preprint of this article, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, can be found in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.04.463045v1">the bioRxiv repository</a>.



--



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

Banded archerfish are capable of counting

A new study led by the University of Trento has...

King Amenhotep I was the second pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th dynasty and is thought to have ruled between 1525 and 1504 BCE. His mummy was discovered in 1881 at the archeological site known as Deir el Bahari in southern Egypt. Unlike most mummies discovered in the 18th and 19th centuries, however, the mummy of King Amenhotep I was never unwrapped.&nbsp;



This particular mummy has been left undisturbed because of its perfect wrapping, its beautiful&nbsp;decoration with flower garlands, and its exquisite, lifelike facemask that is inset with colorful stones. It is the only royal mummy that has not been unwrapped and examined by modern Egyptologists.&nbsp;



But now,&nbsp; scientists from Egypt have used three-dimensional CT (computed tomography) scans to digitally unwrap the mummy - without disturbing it or destroying any of its intricate structure.&nbsp;



Historical records, written in hieroglyphics, reveal that Amenhotep I’s mummy was opened in the 11th century BCE, some four centuries after he was buried. It is thought that, at this time, priests from the 21st dynasty lovingly restored and reburied royal mummies from more ancient dynasties, perhaps to repair the damage done by grave robbers or because they deemed the burial sites to be insecure.&nbsp;



The priests apparently chose secret new locations for the mummies of numerous kings and nobles to protect them from grave robbers. Since his reburial in the 11th century BCE, Amenhotep I has remained intact inside his wrappings. To this day, the location of his own original tomb is unknown.&nbsp;



“This fact that Amenhotep I’s mummy had never been unwrapped in modern times gave us a unique opportunity: not just to study how he had originally been mummified and buried, but also how he had been treated and reburied twice, centuries after his death, by High Priests of Amun,” said study first author Dr. Sahar Saleem, professor of radiology at the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University and the radiologist of the Egyptian Mummy Project.



“By digitally unwrapping the mummy and ‘peeling off’ its virtual layers – the facemask, the bandages, and the mummy itself – we could study this well-preserved pharaoh in unprecedented detail,” said Professor Saleem.



“We show that Amenhotep I was approximately 35 years old when he died. He was approximately 169cm tall, circumcized, and had good teeth. Within his wrappings, he wore 30 amulets and a unique golden girdle with gold beads.”



“Amenhotep I seems to have physically resembled his father: he had a narrow chin, a small narrow nose, curly hair, and mildly protruding upper teeth.”



"We couldn’t find any wounds or disfigurement due to disease to justify the cause of death, except numerous mutilations&nbsp;post mortem, presumably by grave robbers after his first burial. His entrails had been removed by the first mummifiers, but not his brain or heart.”



Not very much is known about the reign of Amenhotep. He was the son of the first ruler of the 18th dynasty, King Ahmose I, and his wife Ahmose-Nefertari. During his rule, he conducted military excursions into Nubia (modern Sudan) and extended Egypt’s territory southwards. He also ordered many temples and other religious buildings to be constructed.&nbsp;



Amenhotep is said to have ruled for 21 years and during this time Egypt was prosperous and safe. After his death, he and his mother were both worshipped as gods.



At the start of the CT imaging examination of Amenhotep I’s mummy, Saleem and her co-author Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, speculated that the main intention of the restorers from the 11th century was to reuse royal burial equipment for later pharaohs. However, their findings disproved this theory.&nbsp;



“We show that at least for Amenhotep I, the priests of the 21st&nbsp;dynasty lovingly repaired the injuries inflicted by the tomb robbers, restored his mummy to its former glory, and preserved the magnificent jewelry and amulets in place,” said Professor Saleem.



Hawass and Saleem studied more than 40 royal mummies of the New Kingdom, under the auspices of the Egyptian Antiquity Ministry Project that was launched in 2005. Twenty-two royal mummies, including that of Amenhotep I, were transferred to a new museum in Cairo, in April 2021. The facemask of the mummy of Amenhotep I was the icon of the spectacular ‘Royal Golden Mummy Parade’ on March 3rd, 2021, in Cairo.



“We show that CT imaging can be profitably used in anthropological and archeological studies on mummies, including those from other civilizations, for example Peru,” concluded Saleem and Hawass.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine">Frontiers in Medicine</a>.



Image Credit: S. Saleem and Z. Hawass



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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

Scientists "unwrap" the 3,000 year-old mummy of King Amenhotep I

King Amenhotep I was the second pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th...

The results of a new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a> suggests that adults can greatly reduce <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-antibody-levels-are-highest-in-women-after-vaccination/">Covid-19</a> transmission in schools and preschools by wearing masks. The researchers found that Covid-19 outbreaks were more severe when an adult was the first identified case, or the index case.



The experts report that adults wearing masks can significantly lower secondary cases. They recommend that masks become obligatory for adults working at schools and preschools to help prevent outbreaks.



"To date, there is only insufficient evidence to definitively rule out schools as a source of infection. It remains undisputed that children and adolescents can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 and can spread the infection possibly as asymptomatic carriers," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"However, studies in schools suggest that infections are predominantly brought into schools by adults and that a child-to-child transmission in schools is rare and probably not the primary cause of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children collectives."



While the role that children play in the spread of Covid-19 remains unclear, school closures are not the best solution. Research has shown that the closing of schools has negative impacts on the well-being of children and adolescents. School closures have been linked to social isolation and academic challenges, for example.



“To avoid school closures at high incidence levels, it is important to identify factors contributing to the spread of Covid-19 infections in schools and preschools,” said study co-author Dr. Anika Kästner of the University Medicine Greifswald.



The experts analyzed the dynamics of Covid-19 infections in schools and preschools. In particular, they looked at changes in hygiene measures and studied the influence of these measures on the extent of outbreaks.



The analysis was focused on routine surveillance data of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, between August 2020 and May 2021. They analyzed outbreak events in schools and preschools, while considering changes in infection control measures over time.&nbsp;



“Our results show that mandatory masking of teachers and caregivers and children at schools in the 2020 to 2021 school year each resulted in a significant reduction in the number of Covid-19 transmissions," said study first author Dr. Martine Sombetzki.



“In a model analysis, mask obligation, for adults in particular, was shown to be effective in reducing secondary cases," said Dr. Kästner. "We can therefore recommend all-time mandatory masking in schools for both children and adults. In preschools, mask wearing could also reduce secondary cases."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health">Frontiers in Public Health</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

Adults can greatly reduce Covid-19 in schools by wearing masks

The results of a new study published by Frontiers suggests...

Human,Fetus,With,Internal,Organs,,3d,Illustration

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> has identified a key signal that fetuses use to control their supply of nutrients from the placenta, revealing a tug-of-war between genes inherited from the father and from the mother.&nbsp;



As the fetus grows, it receives nourishment via blood vessels in the placenta, a specialized organ containing cells from both child and mother. The fetus is producing a signal to encourage growth of blood vessels within the placenta, allowing for more nutrients from the mother to go through to the fetus.&nbsp;



“We’ve identified one way that the fetus uses to communicate with the placenta to prompt the correct expansion of these blood vessels. When this communication breaks down, the blood vessels don’t develop properly and the baby will struggle to get all the food it needs,” explained study lead author Dr. Ionel Sandovici, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge.



Dr. Sandovici and his colleagues discovered that the fetus sends a signal called IGF2 which reaches the placenta through the umbilical cord and promotes the growth of the fetus’s organs. Both too much and too little IGF2 can cause developmental problems and lead to increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems in adulthood.



By analyzing developmental processes in mice, the scientists have found that the response to IGF2 is mediated by another protein, IGF2R. The two genes that produce IGF2 and IGF2R are “imprinted” (a process through which molecular switches on the genes identify from which parent they come from and can turn the genes on or off). In this particular case, only the copy of the&nbsp;IGF2 gene inherited from the father is active, while only the copy of&nbsp;IGFR2&nbsp;inherited from the mother is active.&nbsp;



“One theory about imprinted genes is that paternally-expressed genes are greedy and selfish. They want to extract the most resources as possible from the mother. But maternally-expressed genes act as countermeasures to balance these demands,” said co-lead author Dr. Miguel Constância, an expert on imprinting at Cambridge.



“In our study, the father’s gene drives the fetus’s demands for larger blood vessels and more nutrients, while the mother’s gene in the placenta tries to control how much nourishment she provides. There’s a tug-of-war taking place, a battle of the sexes at the level of the genome.”



These findings, published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2021.12.005">Developmental Cell</a>, shed more light on how the fetus, the mother, and the placenta communicate during pregnancy, and open new ways of medically promoting normal development of placental vasculature.



---



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

The battle of the sexes begins in the womb

A new study led by the University of Cambridge has...

The association between smells and places appears to be a deeply embedded aspect of human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-disorders-cognition-problems/">cognition</a>. A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04242-3">Nature</a> has attempted to provide a potential explanation of how the connection between smell and space is expressed at the neuronal level.



"Odor molecules do not inherently carry spatial information. However, animals in the wild use odors for spatial navigation and memory, which allow them to locate valuable resources such as food,” said study first author Dr. Cindy Poo, a postdoctoral researcher in Neuroscience at the <a href="https://fchampalimaud.org/champalimaud-research">Champalimaud Research</a>, Portugal.&nbsp;



“We wanted to understand the neural basis of these behaviors, and so we decided to study how the brain combines olfactory and spatial information."



According to study senior author Dr. Zachary Mainen, the Director of the Champalimaud Neuroscience Program, olfaction is the only sense that has direct reciprocal connections to the hippocampus, a region of the brain that structures memory and spatial navigation.&nbsp;



Hippocampal neurons are functioning as “place cells,” each of them becoming active at different locations in the environment. “We know that the hippocampal system sends signals to the primary olfactory cortex," said Dr. Poo. "So we suspected that this brain region might do more than just identify different smells."&nbsp;



To test the relation between smell and place, Dr. Poo and her colleagues developed a puzzle, making rats sample odors at the four ends of a plus-shaped maze, and then finding hidden rewards. "In this task, the rats had to learn and remember exact associations of odors and locations," Dr. Poo explained.&nbsp;&nbsp;



By monitoring the rats’ neuronal activity in the olfactory cortex, the scientists found that olfactory neurons can encode spatial maps. "Our results exceeded our expectations," said Dr. Poo. "We had predicted that some neurons here might care about location to a certain degree. However, by carefully studying the activity of olfactory cortex neurons while the animal was navigating in the maze, we found that these neurons had learned an entire map of the environment."



"This study also opens up a new window to understand how the senses are used for navigation and memory. Humans rely on visual landmarks more than odors, but it's likely that the principles of how we remember where we've been and get to where we're going are very similar," concluded Dr. Mainen.&nbsp;



---



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

How can a smell transport us to another place?

The association between smells and places appears to be a...

A new grafting technique could help protect bananas and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-can-slow-global-warming-but-they-cannot-stop-it/">plants</a> from destructive diseases. Scientists at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> have used embryonic tissue from certain plant seeds to promote disease resistance and other beneficial traits.&nbsp;



Grafting involves joining the shoot of one plant with the root of another so that they merge and grow together as one. Previously, experts did not believe it was possible to apply grafting to grass-like plants known as monocotyledons. This was because they lack a certain type of tissue - the vascular cambium - in their stem.



But now, the Cambridge team has demonstrated that root and shoot tissues taken from the seeds of monocotyledonous grasses can be successfully fused together. This breakthrough could benefit an estimated 60,000 types of monocotyledons, including major crops like rice and wheat.



According to the study authors, the research has implications for the control of serious soil-borne pathogens including Panama Disease, which has been destroying banana plantations for over 30 years. This disease has recently been spreading at an increasing rate, prompting fears of global banana shortages.



“We’ve achieved something that everyone said was impossible. Grafting embryonic tissue holds real potential across a range of grass-like species. We found that even distantly related species, separated by deep evolutionary time, are graft compatible,” said study senior author Professor Julian Hibberd.



A series of tests revealed that the grafting technique is effective in a range of monocotyledonous crop plants including pineapple, banana, onion, and tequila agave.



“I read back over decades of research papers on grafting and everybody said that it couldn’t be done in monocots. I was stubborn enough to keep going - for years - until I proved them wrong,” said study first author Dr. Greg Reeves.



"It’s an urgent challenge to make important food crops resistant to the diseases that are destroying them. Our technique allows us to add disease resistance, or other beneficial properties like salt-tolerance, to grass-like plants without resorting to genetic modification or lengthy breeding programs.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>&nbsp;



---



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

New breakthrough will promote disease resistance in bananas

A new grafting technique could help protect bananas and other...

The James Webb Space Telescope is now officially the largest telescope ever to be launched into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-travel-can-cause-brain-damage/">space</a>. On Christmas morning - after a decade of delays - Webb was launched at 7:20 a.m. on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.



Webb is the product of 40 million hours of work by thousands of scientists from around the globe. The world’s most complex space observatory will now begin six months of commissioning in space. After this time, Webb will deliver its first images.&nbsp;



“Webb’s launch is a pivotal moment that exemplifies the dedication, innovation, and ambition behind NASA and its partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA), but it is only the beginning,” said NASA.



“The 29 days following liftoff will be an exciting but harrowing time. Thousands of parts must work correctly, in sequence, to unfold Webb and put it in its final configuration, all while it flies through the expanse of space alone, to a destination nearly one million miles away.”



Equipped with highly sensitive infrared detectors of unprecedented resolution, Webb will study infrared light from celestial objects with remarkable clarity.&nbsp;



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> will use Webb to observe asteroids and newborn planets, as well as black holes in distant galaxies.



UQ astrophysicist Dr Benjamin Pope said he is excited by the capabilities of the telescope, which is widely considered as the successor to the famed Hubble Space Telescope (HST) launched in 1990.



"The JWST will go dramatically beyond what any telescope has been able to do - it will see some of the first stars in the universe, billions of light years away," said Dr. Pope.



"By looking at exoplanets as they transit, it will measure their atmospheric composition and detect water and other molecules that could indicate planets capable of sustaining life. It changes the game on how we observe planets, stars, asteroids, and the universe around us."



"One of the main benefits of a space telescope such as the JWST is that it overcomes one of the biggest problems facing astronomers - the atmosphere blocking their view of the wider universe. Such a powerful space telescope will put us on the doorstep of some incredible discoveries."



Professor Holger Baumgardt will use the JWST for a series of observation projects aimed at identifying and studying black holes in distant galaxies. "Specifically, we'll be searching for supermassive black holes in the centers of nearby galaxies."



"Our aim is to understand the relationship between the mass of both black holes and the galaxies that host them and learn how these supermassive black holes formed."



Dr. Pope said the future of astronomy looks bright, with answers to some of astronomy's most important questions within reach.



"JWST will give us a clearer picture of the origins of our own Solar System, and our best ever glimpses of the other weird and wonderful systems of planets in the Galaxy."



According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, the James Webb Space Telescope represents the ambition that NASA and our partners maintain to propel us forward into the future. “The promise of Webb is not what we know we will discover; it’s what we don’t yet understand or can’t yet fathom about our universe. I can’t wait to see what it uncovers!”



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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

Webb will completely change how we view the universe

The James Webb Space Telescope is now officially the largest...

Aerial,View,To,Ocean,Waves.,Blue,Water,Background

New research published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a> shows that small freshwater fish called sulfur mollies have the ability to work together in groups to create waves. This cooperative action from hundreds of thousands of fish helps protect them from predatory birds.&nbsp;



“The surprises came once we realized how many fish can act together in such repeated waves," said Jens Krause of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin and Cluster of Excellence Science of Intelligence.



"There are up to 4,000 fish per square meter and sometimes hundreds of thousands of fish participate in a single fish wave. Fish can repeat these waves for up to two minutes, with one wave approximately every three to four seconds.”



The scientists were surprised by this mass action of fish that were not previously known to possess such powers.



“At first we didn’t quite understand what the fish were actually doing," said study first author David Bierbach. "Once we realized that these are waves, we were wondering what their function might be.”



The behavior of the mollies, which live in sulphuric springs toxic to most other species, is easy to observe. The fish react to humans the same way they do to predatory birds.&nbsp;



The waves reminded the researchers of those known to sports fans who create similar cooperative waves in arenas although for very different reasons. Acting on the hunch that these waves were actually anti-predator behavior, the scientists investigated further.



Through experimentation, it was found that the time between bird predatory actions was doubled after the fish created their wave, thus decreasing the likelihood that any one fish would end up as bird food. While it is not yet clear why this strategy works, what is clear is that it does.&nbsp;



“So far scientists have primarily explained how collective patterns arise from the interactions of individuals but it was unclear why animals produce these patterns in the first place," said Krause. "Our study shows that some collective behavior patterns can be very effective in providing anti-predator protection.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.



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

Massive groups of fish create waves to deter predators

New research published in the journal Current Biology shows that...

Interior,Christmas.,Magic,Glowing,Tree,,Fireplace,,Gifts,In,Dark,At

The world’s thinnest Christmas tree, with the thickness similar to that of a single atom, has been developed by a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english">Technical University of Denmark</a> (DTU). The tree is made from graphene, a sheet form of carbon that conducts electricity ten times more effectively than copper. At only a third of a nanometer (one billionth of a meter) thick, the graphene Christmas tree is 30,000 times thinner than kitchen film.



Known as a scientific “wonder material,” graphene consists of a single, two-dimensional layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb-like structure. It is made by chemically processing graphite (a cheap material found in the lead of pencils and the crystalline form of carbon), and is more robust, stiffer, and better at conducting electricity and heat than any other material. Graphene has great potential for the manufacturing of flexible electronics, solar panels, water filters, and biosensors.



“Although the starting point is carbon, just like the graphite in a pencil, graphene is at the same time even more conductive than copper,” explained study lead author Peter Bøggild, an expert in Nanotechnology at DTU.&nbsp;



The material is usually “grown” on copper foil at around 1,832°F&nbsp;(1,000°C) and is afterwards transferred by using a rebuilt lamination machine. Next, the graphene is scanned with terahertz radiation in order to ensure that it maintains its electric conductivity, which is crucial for its many potential industrial uses.



“We have taken a very significant step. We have converted a laminating machine into a so-called roll-2-roll transfer system,” said Professor Bøggild.&nbsp;



“It gently lifts the graphene layer from the copper roll on which the graphene layer is grown and moves it onto plastic foil without it breaking, becoming wrinkled or dirty. When we combine this with the terahertz system, we can immediately see if the process has gone well – that is, whether we have unbroken graphene with low electrical resistance.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers cut the “Christmas tree” from a 30-foot long roll of graphene. “Even if you could make a pencil drawing of a Christmas tree and lift it off the paper – which, figuratively, is what we have done – it would be much thicker than one atom. A bacterium is 3,000 times thicker than the graphene layer we used. That's why I dare call this the world's thinnest Christmas tree,” Professor Bøggild concluded.



The graphene manufacturing procedure is fully explained by Professor Bøggild and his colleagues in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2053-1583/abdbcb">2D Materials</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

The world’s thinnest Christmas tree has the size of an atom

The world’s thinnest Christmas tree, with the thickness similar to...

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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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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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

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