Plant lovers have experimented with everything from eggshell powder to coffee grounds to help their greenery thrive. While some of these methods are effective, a homemade, chlorophyll-rich fertilizer known as "green gold" is gaining attention among gardening enthusiasts.



Dr. Cristhian Josue Cedeno from the <a href="https://www.utm.edu.ec/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Manabí</a> has shared new insights on how nutrient-rich preparations can influence plant growth and vitality.



This knowledge aligns with the idea that plants are more than decorations: they are complex organisms that respond well to science-backed care.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chlorophyll-rich-fertilizer">Chlorophyll-rich fertilizer </h2>



Bold, bright leaves are full of <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10384064/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chlorophyll</a>, the natural pigment responsible for a plant’s green shade. When leaves appear pale or lifeless, it can signal a nutrient deficiency that basic watering cannot fix. Chlorophyll-rich fertilizers may fill that gap by boosting a plant’s photosynthetic process. One promising organic option is LVEB (bovine manure vermicompost leachate), a liquid derived from composted cattle manure that has been processed by earthworms.&nbsp;



This nutrient-rich solution enhances soil quality, promotes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/beneficial-plant-bacteria-likely-to-decline-due-to-climate-change/">beneficial microbes</a>, and provides essential minerals like magnesium, which directly support chlorophyll production. 



Unlike synthetic fertilizers, LVEB improves plant health naturally, making it a sustainable choice for home gardeners and farmers alike.



“The 1:30 dilution of the LVEB stood out above the remaining ones, showing significantly greater increases than chemical fertilization for plant height, stem diameter, leaf quantity, total chlorophyll content, and increasing yield by 1,28 t/ha compared to plants that received chemical fertilizer,” said study co-author Cedeno Solorzano.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-power-of-magnesium">Hidden power of magnesium</h2>



“Magnesium plays a critical role in plant metabolism as it is the central atom in chlorophyll molecules,” explained Shaul O, from <a href="https://www.biu.ac.il/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bar-Ilan University</a>.



Anyone frustrated with sickly plants might consider the importance of <a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">magnesium</a>, which is a crucial mineral in every chlorophyll molecule.&nbsp;



If leaves appear yellow or growth seems sluggish, magnesium deficiency could be an underlying factor. Dark, leafy material used in homemade fertilizer solutions may add a direct supply of this nutrient.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supporting-healthy-soil-with-chlorophyll-fertilizer">Supporting healthy soil with chlorophyll fertilizer </h2>



Adequate <a href="https://bioenergy.asu.edu/why-study-photosynthesis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">photosynthesis</a> is important, but roots and soil also deserve attention. Healthy soil provides the foundation for strong plant growth, influencing nutrient absorption, moisture retention, and resistance to disease.



“Organic amendments supply readily available carbon and nutrients that stimulate soil microbial biomass and activity," stated H. J. McGovern from the <a href="https://scri.webarchive.hutton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scottish Crop Research Institute</a>.



"This microbial stimulation not only accelerates the decomposition of organic matter but also enhances the availability of essential nutrients to plants, ultimately leading to improved plant growth and soil health."



Homemade chlorophyll fertilizer functions like other organic solutions by feeding beneficial microbes. Healthier soil creates a better environment for roots to access water and nutrients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-chlorophyll-fertilizer">Preparing chlorophyll fertilizer</h2>



Gardeners often harvest the greenest leaves from shrubs that hold onto their color year-round. These leaves are placed in a blender with around one quart of water to form a rich, dark mixture.



Straining the blend removes chunky bits, and a brief bain-marie heating for about 5 to 10 minutes helps release the essential pigments. This simple recipe is then used in place of typical watering routines every couple of weeks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maintaining-steady-progress">Maintaining steady progress</h2>



Tracking improvement can be as simple as checking leaves for a vibrant hue. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-with-wilting-flowers-arent-dying-they-are-saving-energy/">Wilted or droopy plants</a> often show renewed structure after consistent application of the chlorophyll-rich brew.



It pays to stay mindful of the soil’s moisture content and drainage status so that excess water does not cause roots to suffocate. The combination of appropriate watering, sunlight, and nutrient balance keeps plants in good shape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-greener-approach">A greener approach</h2>



“The application of organic amendments improves soil physical properties such as structure, porosity, and water retention," noted the Food and Agriculture Organization (<a href="https://www.fao.org/home/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FAO</a>).



"In turn, these improvements support a more active microbial community that enhances nutrient cycling and overall soil fertility.” 



Sustainability is a crucial point for many who prefer organic methods.&nbsp;



Homemade chlorophyll solutions fit this mindset by reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers. The steps rely on easily available plant material, which makes the process affordable and eco-friendly.



Using the green gold approach can be an encouraging way to nurse neglected houseplants back to health. The steps are quick, and the benefits become visible in the form of stronger leaves and sturdier stems.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/8232839.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">La Técnica</a>.



-----



Like what you read?<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/"> Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Gardening hack called 'green gold' works like magic for houseplants

Plant lovers have experimented with everything from eggshell powder to coffee grounds to help their greenery thrive. While some of these methods are effective, a homemade, chlorophyll-rich fertilizer known as "green gold" is gaining attention among gardening enthusiasts. Dr. Cristhian Josue Cedeno from the Technical University of Manabí has shared new insights on how nutrient-rich preparations can influence plant growth and vitality. This knowledge aligns with the idea that plants are more than decorations: they are complex organisms that respond well to science-backed care. Chlorophyll-rich fertilizer Bold,...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>, eliminating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-from-everyday-products-is-deadlier-than-previously-realized/">air pollution</a> emissions from energy-related activities in the United States would prevent over 50,000 premature deaths each year. This would also provide more than $600 billion in benefits from avoided healthcare costs and loss of life.



Dangerous fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere by electricity generation, transportation, industrial activities, heating of buildings, and cooking. These pollutants contribute to health issues including cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and lower respiratory infections, which can all dramatically shorter lifespans. Moreover, fine particulate matter is also a major source of carbon dioxide emissions that can exacerbate climate change.



By using a model from the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a> to determine the health benefits from a complete reduction in emissions of fine particulate matter, the scientists found that cutting these emissions would save about 53,200 lives each year in the US, and provide approximately $608 billion in benefits from avoided illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.



“Our work provides a sense of the scale of the air quality health benefits that could accompany deep decarbonization of the U.S. energy system,” said study lead author Nick Mailloux, a graduate student in Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. “Shifting to clean energy sources can provide enormous benefit for public health in the near term while mitigating climate change in the longer term.”



Mailloux and his team have also investigated the health effects if regions of the country were to act independently to reduce emissions, instead of part of a concerted national effort. Due to regional variations in energy use and population, the effects were found to differ widely in different parts of the country.&nbsp;



For instance, the Southwest (a region comprising Arizona, California, and Nevada) would retain 95 percent of the benefits if it acted alone to eliminate fine particle emissions.&nbsp;



“In the Mountain region, though, most of the benefit of emissions removal is felt somewhere else,” explained Mailloux. “Just 32 percent of the benefit remains in states in the Mountain region. This is partly because there are large population centers downwind of the Mountain region that would also benefit.”



According to the researchers, every region of the country would in fact see more benefits from nationwide action rather than acting on their own.&nbsp;



“The Great Plains, for example, gets more than twice as much benefit from nationwide efforts as it does from acting alone. The more that states and regions can coordinate their emissions reductions efforts, the greater the benefit they can provide to us all,” concluded Mailloux.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/24711403">GeoHealth</a>.&nbsp;



----



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

Cutting emissions would save over 50,000 US lives each year

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

Reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) are among the largest and most iconic of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-marine-ichthyosaur-fossils-found-high-in-the-alps/">marine</a> species. They are widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and west Pacific Oceans, where they mostly frequent shallow waters along the coastal reefs of continents and oceanic islands. Because of their beauty and graceful behavior, these manta rays are hugely popular with divers and snorkelers, who travel from afar to places where the rays congregate, in order to view them underwater. 



The Komodo National Park in Indonesia is just such a place. Mantas are present all year round in the waters of this National Park, which is itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the famous Komodo dragons are protected. Dive tourists come to view the mantas, which grow up to 5m in length, as they feed in the shallow waters, visit ‘cleaning stations’ on the coral reefs to have parasites removed by small fish, or even display courtship ‘trains’ as part of their reproductive behavior.&nbsp;



Dr. Andrea Marshall, principal scientist and co-founder of the <a href="https://marinemegafauna.org/">Marine Megafauna Foundation</a> saw the potential to engage the public with data collection on these threatened and understudied marine animals and worked with software company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wildme.org/#/">WildMe</a>&nbsp;to develop an online wildlife database platform (MantaMatcher.org) to match and catalog manta rays in different populations around the world.



Scientists from the <a href="https://marinemegafauna.org/projects/microplastics-megafauna">Marine Megafauna Foundation</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.murdoch.edu.au/">Murdoch University</a>&nbsp;approached local dive operators to promote the development of a data bank of the manta rays in the waters of the Komodo National Park. They asked that visitors take photographs of the mantas they encountered, and then submit them to MantaMatcher.org for identification and analysis. In this way, the scientists hoped to monitor the movement patterns and demographics of the mantas in the area.&nbsp;



“People love manta rays – they are one of the most iconic animals in our oceans. The rise of the number of people engaging in SCUBA diving, snorkeling and the advent of affordable underwater cameras meant that photos and videos taken by the public during their holidays could be used to quickly and affordably scale data collection,” said Marshall, who was co-author of the study.



Individual mantas can be identified by the unique patterns of dark marks on their ventral surface and so the photos could be used to track individuals and monitor their movements. The project ran for 5 years, between 2013 and 2018, during which time &nbsp; 3,941 sightings were submitted by citizen scientists and 1,085 different reef mantas were identified. The photographs, along with time and location information, were used to construct siting histories of individual manta rays, which could then be analyzed with statistical movement models.&nbsp;



The results, published today in the open-access scientific journal <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>, indicate that some manta rays moved mostly within the area of the Park, whereas others traveled as far as the Nusa Penida MPA (more than 450 km to the west). Interestingly, most of the mantas had favorite spots that they inhabited within the Park.&nbsp;



“I found it very interesting how some manta rays appear to prefer spending their time in some sites more than others, even when sites are 5 km apart, which are short distances for manta rays,” said study lead author Dr. Elitza Germanov. “This means that manta rays which prefer sites where fishing activities continue to occur or that are more popular with tourism will endure greater impacts.”&nbsp;



Mantas in the Komodo NP are threatened by two major factors. Although fishing activities have been prohibited in many coastal areas within Komodo NP since 1984, illegal operators and the movements of mantas out of the Park and into heavily fished waters, have continued to take their toll. About 5% of Komodo’s manta rays have permanent injuries that are likely the result of encounters with fishing gear.&nbsp;



In addition, tourism activity in the Komodo NP continues to increase. During the study period the researchers recorded a 34 percent increase in the number of tourist boats visiting manta ray sites.&nbsp; The associated disturbance from divers and snorkelers can have a negative impact on manta rays and their habitats. In 2019, the Komodo National Park Authority introduced limits on the number of boats and people that visit one of the most famous manta sites.&nbsp;



“This study shows that the places where tourists commonly observe manta rays are important for the animals to feed, clean and mate. This means that the Komodo National Park should create measures to limit the disturbance at these sites,” said Mr. Ande Kefi, an employee of the Komodo National Park involved with this study. “I hope that this study will encourage tourism operators to understand the need for the regulations already imposed and increase compliance,” he adds.&nbsp;



The authors of the study also recommend limiting the number of tourist boats allowed at one time at all manta ray aggregation sites, and enforcing codes of conduct for divers that ensure minimum impact from tourism. In this way they hope that Komodo’s large ray aggregations will be protected into the future. The study also highlights that marine protected areas that are large enough to host important manta ray habitats are a beneficial tool for manta ray conservation.



---



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

Secrets of manta ray behavior revealed

Reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) are among the largest and most...

A poll conducted by the NGO <a href="https://usa.oceana.org/">Oceana</a> this month showed that the majority of New Yorkers are concerned with the problem of single use plastics and want intervention from the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“New Yorkers’ eyes are open to the plastic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-production-must-be-phased-out-to-stop-pollution/">pollution</a> crisis threatening their communities and ocean, and state lawmakers can no longer ignore our calls for government action. The state legislature already has two bills at its fingertips to reduce single-use plastic utensils, straws, and stirrers, and these polling results suggest it would have the support of constituents in passing them,” said Brian Langloss, Oceana Field Representative.



“New York has always been a leader in environmental action, and it’s clear New Yorkers want lawmakers to honor that reputation by curbing our state’s reliance on plastic and protecting its coastlines for generations to come. It’s time for state lawmakers to heed the call of their constituents and pass these important bills.”



Overall, 88 percent of those polled supported regulations to curb the amount of single use plastic products. Eighty-three percent of registered voters in New York are worried about single use plastic used in takeout and delivery food.&nbsp;



In addition, 85 percent of poll participants also support national policy to limit the amount of single use plastic, while 76 percent support legislation to reduce plastic straws.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The poll results come as the New York legislature considers two bills which if passed would limit the amount of single use plastics in the state. <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/A5383">Assembly Bill A5383/Senate Bill S8264</a> would make single use utensils at restaurants available only upon customer request. <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/S1505">Assembly Bill A207A/Senate Bill S1505A</a> would remove plastic stirrers from restaurants all together and make plastic straws available only upon request.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



New York, like almost everywhere in the world, is already seeing negative impacts from plastic pollution. The Hudson River estuarine sanctuary, terminus of the famous river, is filled with an estimated 578,333 microplastic particles per kilometer.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

New Yorkers are ready to take control of single use plastics

A poll conducted by the NGO Oceana this month showed...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> has found that the world’s largest fossil fuel companies are planning or already conducting 425 “carbon bomb” oil and gas projects that could seriously impede efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. According to the experts, such initiatives could release over 646 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and should be urgently halted if the world is to avoid a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ipcc-report-can-we-save-the-planet-from-climate-catastrophe/">climate catastrophe</a>.



Despite scientists’ warnings that greenhouse gas emissions will have a highly negative impact on the world’s climate, major multinational companies such as Shell, Gazprom, ExxonMobil, BP, PetroChina, Petrobras, ConocoPhillips, or Chevron (which all made over $2 million in profits during the past three decades) have already started 60 percent of these new gigantic oil and gas projects that are estimated to result in at least a billion ton of CO2&nbsp;emissions each over their lifetimes – the equivalent of approximately 18 years of current emissions. The largest of these companies are on track to spend $103 million a day for the rest of the decade exploiting new fields of oil and gas that should clearly not be burned if global warming is to be limited to well under 2°C.



“The oil and gas industry are continuing to plan these huge projects, even in the face of a burning planet,” said study lead author Kjell&nbsp;Kühne, an expert in fossil fuels at the University of Leeds. “The ambitious targets of the&nbsp;Paris agreement&nbsp;were apparently not enough to make them question their business case. These carbon bombs are the single biggest indicator that we are not trying hard enough.”



According to the researchers, the United States is the leading source of emissions, housing 22 of these projects, which have the potential to emit 140 billion tons of carbon dioxide - almost four times more than the entire world emits each year. Saudi Arabia is estimated to be the second largest emitter, with 107 billion tons, followed by Russia, Qatar, Iraq, Canada, China, and Brazil.



“Either the scientists have spent 30 years working on this issue and have got it all wrong – the big oil CEOs know better – or, behind a veil of concern, they have complete disregard for the more climate vulnerable communities, typically poor, people of color and far away from their lives. Equally worrying, they are disinterested in their own children’s future,” said climate scientist Kevin Anderson from the <a href="https://tyndall.ac.uk/">Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research</a>.



Defusing these climate bombs should become an important dimension of climate change mitigation policy and activism in order to avoid disastrous temperature increases that would affect the majority of the Earth’s ecosystems.



The study – containing a full list of the carbon bomb projects threatening our planet – is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421522001756?via%3Dihub#!">Energy Policy</a>.



----



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

"Carbon bomb” projects must be halted to limit global warming

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

By use of extremely powerful telescopes, scientists had previously seen <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-are-some-sea-stars-more-susceptible-to-disease/">stars</a> orbiting around something invisible, compact, and very massive at the center of our galaxy. This object - known as Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) – appears to be a huge black hole located 27,000 light-years away from Earth. Now, for the fist time, astrophysicists have managed to capture an image of this supermassive black hole – which is four million times more massive than our sun - at the heart of the Milky Way.



Although the black hole itself is invisible, glowing gas around it reveals a tell-tale signature: a dark central region - called a “shadow”- surrounded by a bright ring-like structure, which is the light bent by the enormous gravity of the black hole.



“For decades, astronomers have wondered what lies at the heart of our galaxy, pulling stars into tight orbits through its immense gravity,” said Michael Johnson, an astrophysicist at <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a>.&nbsp;“With the image [captured by <a href="https://eventhorizontelescope.org/">Event Horizon Telescope</a> or EHT], we have zoomed in a thousand times closer than these orbits, where the gravity grows a million times stronger. At this close range, the black hole accelerates matter to close to the speed of light and bends the paths of photons in the warped (space-time).”



“We were stunned by how well the size of the ring agreed with predictions from Einstein’s theory of general relativity,” added EHT Project Scientist Geoffrey Bower. “These unprecedented observations have greatly improved our understanding of what happens at the very center of our galaxy and offer new insights on how these giant black holes interact with their surroundings.”



To image the black hole, scientists used the powerful EHT, which linked together eight radio observatories across the planet to form a single, “Earth-sized” virtual telescope. By employing this groundbreaking technology to observe Sgr A* on multiple nights and collect data for long periods of time, the researchers created a library of millions of images which then needed to be interpreted theoretically to assess what type of astronomical objects they had in fact detected.



“To understand how the EHT has produced an image of Sgr A* one can think of producing a picture of a mountain peak based on a time-lapse video,” explained Luciano Rezzolla, a theoretical astrophysicist at <a href="https://www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/">Goethe University Frankfurt</a>. “While most of the time the peak will be visible in the time-lapse video, there are times when it is not because it is obscured by clouds. On average, however, the peak is clearly there. Something similar is true also for Sgr A*, whose observations lead to thousands of images which have been collected in four classes and then averaged according to their properties. The end result is a clear first image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.”&nbsp;



This breakthrough discovery follows EHT’s 2019 release of the first image of a black hole, called M87*, located at the center of the more distant Messier 87 galaxy. Even though our galaxy’s black hole is over a thousand times smaller than M87*, the two astronomical objects look amazingly similar. Now, the scientists can compare the two to shed more light on how gas behaves around supermassive black holes.&nbsp;



“Now we can study the differences between these two supermassive black holes to gain valuable new clues about how this important process works,” said EHT scientist Keiichi Asada. “We have images for two black holes — one at the large end and one at the small end of supermassive black holes in the Universe — so we can go a lot further in testing how gravity behaves in these extreme environments than ever before.”



A detailed description of Sgr A* is published in the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ac6674">Astrophysical Journal Letters</a>.



Image Credit: Younsi, Fromm, Mizuno &amp; Rezzolla (University College London, Goethe University Frankfurt



----



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

Supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy revealed

By use of extremely powerful telescopes, scientists had previously seen...

On Sunday, May 15, 2022, two rare moon events will take place at the same time. A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tonights-super-moon-coincides-with-a-total-lunar-eclipse/">total lunar eclipse</a> will make the Earth’s natural satellite appear like a glowing red disk in the sky (hence the name “blood moon”), at the same time when the moon will be near to its closest orbit to Earth (or perigee), making it appear larger than usual. This Super Blood Moon will be visible in its totality phase from parts of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Antarctica, and the east Pacific.



The moon will start taking on a light tea-colored hue at around 22:00 ET on Sunday, and will be fully eclipsed by 23:29 ET. This phase will last until 00:54 ET, making it the fifth longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. The entire phase of totality will be visible in all of South America and most of North America, as well as in some parts of Europe and Africa. In some areas of the Pacific Northwest, the already-eclipsed moon will rise immediately before the sun sets, brightening as it climbs into the night sky.



The red coloring of the eclipsed moon occurs because sunlight hitting the moon is filtered through the Earth’s atmosphere, scattering the blue light and letting the red one pass through. It is a similar phenomenon with the yellow sun turning red during sunsets. “During a total lunar eclipse, the moon usually turns a deep, dark red because it is illuminated by light that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere and has been bent back towards the moon by refraction,” experts from the <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory">Royal Observatory</a> in Greenwich explained.



Unlike solar eclipses which require special equipment to observe safely, a lunar eclipse can be enjoyed without using any protective gear. While a pair of binoculars would allow stargazers to see an impressive amount of detail on the moon, a total lunar eclipse can be a spectacular view also for the naked eye, from any part of the world where the eclipse is visible.&nbsp;



During the totality phase, the sky surrounding the moon will appear much darker, revealing nearby bright stars, such as the orange-colored star Antares. Sky-watchers in areas away from light pollution may even manage to spot the glow of the Milky Way during this amazing eclipse.



People who live in parts of the world where the eclipse will not be visible can still enjoy it on a variety of live online streams. Some of the links which will be broadcasting this celestial event are available <a href="https://www.space.com/blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-may-2022-guide">here</a>.&nbsp;



----



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

Spectacular Super Blood Moon will appear tonight

On Sunday, May 15, 2022, two rare moon events will...

Our planet’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-oceans-are-on-track-for-a-catastrophic-extinction-event/">oceans</a> are home to some of the most diverse and complex ecosystems. However, warming temperatures are causing increasingly more marine organisms, including corals, to die out. A new study led by <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> (OSU) has advocated the use of mesoscale sanctuaries – areas that can stretch for thousands of miles, often across national boundaries – to protect the over 6,000 coral species populating the oceans.



“Coral reefs are an essential ecosystem on our planet,” said study co-author Andrea Grottoli, a professor of Earth Sciences at OSU. Although they occupy less than 0.1 percent of the surface area in the Earth’s oceans, over 30 percent of all aquatic creatures depend on them.&nbsp;



Reef ecosystems are really important for humans too, explained Grottolli, “in that they provide protection to coastlines from erosion and storms, and they’re essential for certain services like tourism and other parts of the economy.”&nbsp;



Due to rising sea temperatures, reefs all over the world are experiencing higher rates of bleaching – a phenomenon during which corals’ skeletons become visible, turning them into a faded, ghostly white. Although bleached corals are not yet dead, mass bleaching events are an indicator of an ecosystem’s declining health, and often lead to mass mortality across marine species.



Yet, even if the global population of coral dwindles, the genetic diversity of coral species helps ensure that at least some of them may be able to adapt and recover.&nbsp;



While longer-term measures to mitigate climate change include curbing greenhouse gas emissions, the study suggests that, in the meanwhile, broad transdisciplinary approaches to creating both local and large-scale ocean sanctuaries that trespass national boundaries are urgently needed.&nbsp;



“Global warming is the No. 1 threat to coral reefs right now,“ Professor Grottoli warned. “So when we think about coral reef conservation, we can't limit ourselves to arbitrary geographic boundaries.”



Moreover, education is a highly important tool in the efforts to protect coral reefs. “People who understand coral reefs, and who understand the value of coral reefs, are much more likely to do something to help protect them,” Professor Grottoli concluded. “If you don’t know anything about coral, and you’ve never seen one, how can you have any empathy or feel any connection to that ecosystem?”&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.16192">Global Change Biology</a>. In addition, a list of individual actions individuals can take to protect these endangered ecosystems can be found <a href="http://coralreefs.org/pledge-4-reefs/">here</a>.



----



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

Large-scale ocean sanctuaries needed to protect corals

Our planet’s oceans are home to some of the most...

There are 16 species of beaked whales in the genus Mesoplodon, making this the largest cetacean genus. The habits of most of these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-species-are-transforming-coastal-estuaries/">species</a> are largely unknown because the whales are shy, slow-moving and difficult to observe. In fact, some types of beaked whales are only known from dead specimens that have washed ashore.&nbsp;



Mesoplodont whales represent one of the least studied mammalian groups, as evidenced by the fact that three new species have been identified in the past 30 years. The most recent of those species, Ramari’s beaked whale (M. eueu), was described to science just last year.&nbsp;



The beaked whales all tend to have spindle-shaped bodies and small dorsal fins, making the species difficult to tell apart in the field. Also, since they often occur in the same areas and forage at similar depths, they are thought to compete with one another for the same prey items – deep sea squid and small fish. Closely related species usually show different foraging strategies, reflecting the evolutionary drive to optimize foraging performance and minimize interspecific competition. However, this does not seem to be the case amongst this group of closely related beaked whales.&nbsp;



Individuals from some species have been fitted with biologgers, attached to their backs with suction-cups, and the data recorded by these devices has given a glimpse into the underwater lives of these whales. Typically, beaked whales have a low-energy lifestyle. They swim slowly and perform extreme deep dives using an energy-conserving swim-style. They hunt for prey in the ocean depths and can remain underwater for up to an hour.&nbsp;



Sowerby’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens), described in 1804, was the first of these small cetacean species to be identified. But because the species is retiring, seldom observed and lives in open ocean areas, little is known about its behavior. Until recently, individuals from this species had not been fitted with biologgers. However, after years of effort, scientists have now been able to attach the tracking devices to two of these whales and the data has revealed some surprises.&nbsp;



The international team of biologists, led by Fleur Visser of the <a href="https://www.uva.nl/en">University of Amsterdam</a> (UvA) and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), received data from the biologging tags that revealed the diving, movement and echolocation strategies of these whales. The results, published recently in the&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/225/9/jeb243728/275372/Sowerby-s-beaked-whale-biosonar-and-movement">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>, showed that Sowerby’s beaked whales actually move around and hunt much faster than other, related species.&nbsp;



When the researchers compared the biologger data for the two Sowerby’s beaked whales with that from the closely related Blainville’s beaked whale, they found that the Sowerby’s whales consistently swam faster, performed shorter deep dives, and echolocated at a faster rate, with higher frequency clicks. Although they hunt at a similar depth (between 800 and 1300 meters), the Sowerby’s whales clearly employ a different hunting strategy from the other beaked whales.&nbsp;



This first record of a ‘fast’ beaked whale suggests that Mesoplodont whales exploit a broader diversity of deep-sea niches than previously thought. The deep-sea is a rich and diverse hunting ground for marine mammal predators, that have clearly developed a wider range of specialized strategies to be able to exploit it than was previously known.&nbsp;



The marked deviation of Sowerby’s beaked whales from the typically slower behavior of other beaked whales also has potential implications for their response to man-made sounds, which appear to be strongly behaviorally-driven in other species.



---



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

Some beaked whales live a "faster" lifestyle than expected

There are 16 species of beaked whales in the genus...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> has found that, although conservation of sea turtles along most of Africa’s east coast has significantly progressed in recent decades, tens of thousands of turtles are still dying each year. This can be largely attributed to human activity, including illegal take and consumption of turtles (especially <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/african-network-helps-protect-green-turtle-populations/">green turtles</a>), bycatch, or loss of nesting and foraging habitats.



“Turtles face many threats along the African east coast, from egg to adult,” said study lead author Casper Van De Geer, a PhD student in Conservation Science at the University of Exeter. 



“Our aim was to bring together everything that is currently known about these turtles, and to identify opportunities to better protect them in this rapidly developing region. We found that there's still a lot we don't know about these turtle populations, like how many there actually are or where they spend most of their time and migrate to.”



By using clutches of eggs laid as a measure of population, Van De Geer and his colleagues have found that some turtle species have recovered quite well in some places, such as the loggerhead turtles in South Africa and Mozambique. Unfortunately, other species, including leatherback and hawksbill turtles, have not responded well to conservation efforts.



While there is good legislation in place to protect turtles, and stakeholder groups are actively participating in conservation activities, greater collaboration with local populations is urgently needed to increase awareness and boost conservation efforts.&nbsp;



“Local knowledge was key to this research, just as it is vital to turtle conservation,” explained Van De Geer. “Conservation work is most effective when it is supported by the local stakeholders and this is achieved through genuine engagement and cultural sensitivity.”



“There are great examples of this along the African east coast where people are trained and employed as rangers or monitors in the area where they grew up, and the use of community theatre or musical performances to inform people about the marine world and conservation. Ultimately, it’s the people who live in a place who have the knowledge and motivation to protect it,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/esr01180">Endangered Species Research</a>.



----



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

Thousands of sea turtles still dying on the east African coast

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

A research team led by the <a href="https://www.unibe.ch/index_eng.html">University of Bern</a> has recently identified how the brain triages emotions during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strange-dreams-help-us-organize-our-experiences/">dreaming</a> in order to consolidate the storage of positive emotions while dampening the consolidation of negative ones. This study highlights the importance of sleep for mental health and opens new therapeutic pathways for a wide range of psychological disturbances.



REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is a mysterious sleep stage during which most of the dreams occur, together with intense emotional contents. Scientists have long puzzled how and why these emotions are activated during REM sleep. While the prefrontal cortex plays a fundamental role in integrating emotions during wakefulness, it remains surprisingly quiescent during REM sleep. “Our goal was to understand the underlying mechanism and the functions of such a surprising phenomenon,” said study senior author Antoine Adamantidis, a neuroscientist at the University of Bern.



Professor Adamantidis and his colleagues had first conditioned mice to recognize auditory stimuli associated with safety and others associated with danger, and afterwards recorded the mice’s brain activity during sleep-wake cycles. Neurons are composed of a cell body (soma) which integrates information coming from dendrites and sends signals to other neurons via their axons. The researchers found &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; that, during REM sleep, cell somas are kept silent while their dendrites are activated.



“This means a decoupling of the two cellular compartments, in other words soma wide asleep and dendrites wide awake,” explained Professor Adamantidis. Such a decoupling is important because the strong activity of dendrites allows the encoding of both safety and danger emotions, while the inhibition of the soma blocks any output during REM sleep. Thus, the brain seems to favor the discrimination of safety versus danger in the dendrites, but blocks any over-reactions to danger.



According to the scientists, the coexistence of both mechanisms is crucial for the stability and survival of the organism. “This bi-directional mechanism is essential to optimize the discrimination between dangerous and safe signals,” said study lead author Mattia Aime, a neuroscientist at the University of Bern. In cases when such discrimination mechanisms are missing, excessive fear reactions are often generated, leading to anxiety disorders. In post-traumatic stress disorder, for instance, traumatic experiences are over-consolidated in the prefrontal cortex during sleep.&nbsp;



Other mental health issues involving this somatodendritic decoupling include acute and chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and anhedonia. Better understanding how the brain helps to reinforce positive emotions and weaken negative or traumatic ones during REM sleep may open new therapeutic pathways for a wide range of mental illnesses.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk2734">Science</a>.&nbsp;



----



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

Deep sleep helps us process our emotions

A research team led by the University of Bern has...

Megalodon, or Otodus megalodon, is a famously gigantic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whale-sharks-face-an-uncertain-future-due-to-ship-strikes/">shark</a> that became extinct by the end of the Pliocene around 2.6 million years ago. Common are images of someone holding the jaws of the feared great white shark and being dwarfed within reconstructed O. megalodon jaws.&nbsp;



Now, researchers from <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences have found something odd. Megalodon teeth are large enough that one can cover the palm of an adult’s hand. The scientists have found one of these giant teeth oddly deformed and they wondered what caused this.&nbsp;



The tooth appeared split. The paleontologists wondered if genetics, a disease or damage to the tooth bud might have caused the tooth to grow in this strange split fashion and so they decided to investigate.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We don’t have a lot of data on double tooth pathologies in ancient shark species,” said Harrison Miller, a former NC State undergraduate student. “So this was an opportunity to fill in those gaps - and perhaps learn more about the sharks in the process.”



The researchers compared the pathological megalodon tooth with two teeth from a modern bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) with the same problem. The teeth were CT scanned so that the internal anatomy could be examined.&nbsp;



The experts determined that the teeth were either incompletely split from or joined to each other during development, but no cause could be identified.



“Sharks have cartilaginous skeletons, not boney skeletons, so preservation of their jaws is rare in the fossil record, and usually, we only find the individual isolated teeth. Additionally, sharks have different mechanisms for tooth development – they have continuous tooth replacement, so you can’t look at what is happening in the rest of the jaw to rule out fusion or gemination," explained study co-author Haviv Avrahami.



It is possible that this particular shark took a bite of a stingray or other painfully sharp prey and damaged its tooth.&nbsp;



“With O. megalodon in particular, the current understanding is that they fed mostly on whales,” Avrahami said. “But we know that tooth deformities in modern sharks can be caused by something sharp piercing the conveyor belt of developing teeth inside the mouth. Based on what we see in modern sharks, the injury was most likely caused by chomping down on a spiny fish or taking a nasty stab from a stingray barb.”



There are, in fact, stingrays that lived in the same area at the same time that the scientists think could have caused a shark a bad toothache.



“When we think of predator-prey encounters, we tend to reserve our sympathy for the prey, but the life of a predator, even a gigantic megatooth shark, was no cakewalk either," said Lindsay Zanno, head of paleontology at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>.



---



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

What caused a giant megalodon tooth to split?

Megalodon, or Otodus megalodon, is a famously gigantic shark that...

Previous research has shown that North Atlantic right whales are declining in size. The whales may be smaller in size due to tangling with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphin-bycatch-from-fishing-activities-is-unsustainable/">fishing</a> gear and other stresses. Now, new research shows this shrinking could have dire consequences for the endangered whales.



“Smaller females appear to have less capacity to raise calves as frequently as larger whales,” said Joshua Stewart, a research biologist with <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/">NOAA Fisheries</a>’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center. “Their smaller size means they may take longer to recover from the energetic cost of giving birth, especially in light of other stresses on the population.”



Stewart collaborated with other researchers from Oregon State University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the New England Aquarium, and SR3 on the findings. The scientists were able to examine the whales using high quality aerial photography.&nbsp;



“We were able to measure whales by flying a camera high above them, essentially giving them a health check without them knowing we were there,” said study co-author John Durban.



The research showed that larger females were able to give birth to larger and healthier offspring. Over the course of years, larger whales also produced more young. The birth rate of the 350 remaining right whales is currently at a 40 year low. This is partially due to entanglement in fishing gear the research suggests.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“After decades of research on this species, we have learned about the stressors right whales face and, with this study, have gained further insights into how these stressors are affecting their reproduction,” said study co-author Amy Knowlton.&nbsp;



“The remedies to address these threats are clear: shifting how humans operate in the ocean so that do not inadvertently harm whales. That means adapting to weaker ropes used for fishing and ultimately ropeless fishing gear as well as broader areas of vessel speed restrictions in the right whale’s range. With these changes, we could reverse the decline we are witnessing in this species.”&nbsp;



Other factors likely also play a role in the fecundity of the whales, including lack of prey, driven by human causes. Hopefully this research helps secure a future for these beautiful creatures.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/">Marine Ecology Progress Series</a>.



---



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

Dwindling right whale population linked to shrinking bodies

Previous research has shown that North Atlantic right whales are...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...