The far side of the moon holds many mysteries, including massive trenches near its south pole that have long puzzled astronomers. 



Recent findings suggest that these formations, comparable in size to the Grand Canyon, likely took shape in just minutes. Scientists believe they were sculpted by the immense forces unleashed by an ancient impact billions of years ago.



David Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute of the <a href="https://www.usra.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universities Space Research Association</a> in Houston played a leading role in investigating this phenomenon. 



Along with fellow researchers, Kring found that the ancient collision hurled massive amounts of rocky debris across the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-recent-mini-moon-2024-pt5-seems-to-be-a-lost-fragment-of-our-real-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lunar surface</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unexpected-formation-speed">Unexpected formation speed</h2>



Computer simulations point to an extraordinary <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55675-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">event</a> that occurred about 3.8 billion years ago. 



A 15-mile-wide space rock released energy equivalent to about 130 times the global stockpile of nuclear weapons in under 10 minutes.



The catastrophic force tore two canyons, each stretching around 170 miles in length. One is roughly 2.2 miles deep, while the other descends about 1.7 miles below the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-the-moon-looks-100-million-years-younger-than-its-true-age/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">surface</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moon-canyons-carved-by-debris">Moon canyons carved by debris </h2>



"Knots of rock within that curtain of debris hit the surface in a series of smaller impact events, effectively carving the canyons," said Kring.



Data from NASA’s <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lro/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter</a> revealed that boulders sped across the moon at nearly 2,200 miles per hour. 



Straight-line features near the <a href="https://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/schrodinger/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Schrödinger impact basin</a> trace the path of these ejected fragments. This basin rests on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-are-searching-for-viable-sources-of-water-on-the-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">moon</a>’s far side, forming one of the last massive craters in the inner solar system’s era of heavy bombardment.



Our planet has lost most evidence of similar events because of <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/plate-tectonics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plate tectonics</a>. Sections of Earth’s crust shift and plunge under each other, recycling ancient terrain and erasing old scars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-space-rocks-on-a-collision-course">Space rocks on a collision course</h2>



The researchers link the ancient collision to a time when Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune may have shifted their orbits. These changes are thought to have triggered a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03676" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">surge of asteroids</a> directed toward the inner solar system.



Unusual gravitational interactions are believed to have nudged many space rocks onto collision courses with the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasas-next-giant-leap-creating-a-time-zone-for-the-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">moon</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lunar-exploration-potential">Lunar exploration potential</h2>



The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artemis program</a> aims to send astronauts to the moon’s polar region for the first time since the 1970s. Researchers suspect that remnants of rock tossed outward by the canyon-forming impact may be easier to reach near the polar zone.



Those samples could clarify how the <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/in-depth" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">moon formed</a> after a huge object struck Earth in the distant past. Many scientists propose that molten material spun off and coalesced as Earth cooled, leaving behind the natural satellite we see today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moon-canyons-remain-unchanged">Moon canyons remain unchanged</h2>



Some planetary bodies exhibit dramatic changes over eons, but the moon’s surface remains relatively static. Tectonic activity is minimal there, so relics from ancient collisions stay visible.



Nearby craters have peppered the same region across millions of years, yet the two large chasms stand out. Their linear shape radiates away from the round zone of impact, indicating a unique origin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moon-canyons-and-solar-system-history">Moon canyons and solar system history</h2>



Several lines of evidence show that the canyons appeared when chunks of rock slammed back to the ground soon after the main collision. Researchers rely on crater patterns and topographic mapping to verify this sequence.



This chaotic process likely occurred elsewhere in the early solar system. Shattered material from violent impacts shaped many worlds before they settled into their current orbits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-on-future-missions">Impact on future missions</h2>



Astronauts returning to the lunar environment might stand on ground shaped by that ancient chaos. Experts hope to collect core samples from these deep sites for clues about the first billion years of our cosmic neighborhood.



Those specimens might hold secrets about the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/moon-mining-and-space-debris-will-we-repeat-earths-mistakes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">moon’</a>s igneous history and the tempo of bombardments. Each layer represents a milestone in the moon’s timeline.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-significance-of-the-moon-canyons">Significance of the moon canyons</h2>



Investigating these canyons on the moon could refine our knowledge of lunar geology and the origins of rocky bodies across the solar system. Their existence suggests that cataclysmic impacts were far more common than once assumed.



This discovery shapes our thinking about planetary evolution and highlights the value of studying ancient surfaces. New data could shift perspectives on the moon’s role in Earth’s early development.



In a single cataclysmic moment, a space rock bigger than the dinosaur-killing asteroid transformed a quiet lunar basin. Now, future explorers may look into those gashes for signs of our shared planetary past.



Curiosity about these colossal scars will likely fuel more research and inspire new generations of observers.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55675-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Asteroid impact carved two Grand Canyon-sized valleys on the Moon in under 10 minutes

The far side of the moon holds many mysteries, including massive trenches near its south pole that have long puzzled astronomers. Recent findings suggest that these formations, comparable in size to the Grand Canyon, likely took shape in just minutes. Scientists believe they were sculpted by the immense forces unleashed by an ancient impact billions of years ago. David Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute of the Universities Space Research Association in Houston played a leading role in investigating this phenomenon. Along with fellow researchers, Kring...

California's $58 billion wine industry is increasingly threatened by the glassy-winged sharpshooter – a half-inch-long <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-insects-will-kill-more-than-a-million-street-trees-by-2050/">insect</a> that feeds on grapevines and transmits bacteria causing Pierce’s Disease. Once it develops this disease, a grapevine is likely to die within three years. Until now, such infections could only be controlled through quarantines and increasingly less effective chemical sprays that the bacteria became highly resistant too.&nbsp;



Now, a research team from the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a> (UCR) has used CRISPR gene-editing technology to make permanent physical changes in the sharpshooter that could be passed down to three or more generations of insects. In a series of experiments, the scientists used this technology to knock out genes controlling the sharpshooter’s eye color (turning them white in one experiment, and cinnabar in another), and discovered that these changes were permanent and were passed along to the offspring of the modified parents.



Interestingly, sharpshooter eye color genes were found to be located on non-sexual, or autosomal, chromosomes. “Knowing that white and cinnabar genes are on autosomal chromosomes demonstrates that the inheritance of these genes is not related to the gender of the insect,” said study lead author Inaiara de Souza Pacheco, an entomologist at UCR. “This is important for developing control strategies.”



For instance, in mosquitoes, only females transmit viruses to humans. Thus, identifying genes on sex chromosomes that favor mosquito females is crucial for mosquito-control strategies. Conversely, it is also important to know which essential genes are located on autosomal chromosomes.



In order to protect grapevines from Pierce’s Disease, the researchers are now attempting to use gene-editing technology to modify the mouth parts of the sharpshooter, so they cannot pick up the bacteria that causes this disease. Given the efficiency with which they managed to change the genes controlling sharpshooters’ eye color, there is a high likelihood that the scientists will also succeed in modifying their mouths.



“It’s absolutely amazing because the success rate in other organisms is often 30 percent or lower,” said study co-author Linda Walling, a plant biologist at UCR. “The high rate of gene editing success in glassy-winged sharpshooters bodes well for our ability to develop new methods of insect control, as well as understanding the basic biology of this devastating pest.”



By using this groundbreaking technology, scientists hope that, in the near future, they will manage to create insects that are not infectious. “Before CRISPR, generating specific mutations with such ease at such high frequencies was virtually impossible,” said study senior author Peter Atkinson, a professor of Biology at UCR. “Now we are confident we can come up with ways to create insects unable to transmit this disease,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220503083111.htm">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.



----



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

Grapevine killer controlled through gene editing strategy

California's $58 billion wine industry is increasingly threatened by the...

In many European countries, sewage sludge is commonly used in agriculture as a sustainable and renewable source of fertilizer, due to European Union directives promoting the diverting of sewage sludge away from landfill or incineration and towards agriculture and energy production. However, a new study led by <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/">Cardiff University</a> has found that sewage sludge contains a significant amount of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-found-in-the-human-blood-for-the-first-time/">microplastics</a> which end up in agricultural soils and are eventually transported back into the natural watercourse through surface water run-off or infiltration to groundwater.



Less than five millimeters in size, microplastics pose significant threats to wildlife and humans, since they are easily ingested and contain toxic chemicals, dangerous pathogens, and other contaminants. By analyzing samples from the Nash Wastewater Treatment Plant in Newport, South Wales, the scientists found that each gram of sewage sludge contained up to 24 microplastic particles (roughly one percent of its weight).&nbsp;



From these findings, the experts estimated that between 31,000 and 42,000 tons of microplastics (or 86 to 710 trillion microplastic particles) are applied to European soils annually, mirroring the concentration of microplastics from ocean surface waters. The United Kingdom was shown to have the highest amount of microplastics contamination in its agricultural soils - with 500 to 1000 microplastic particles per square meter of agricultural land applied each year – followed by Spain, Portugal, and Germany.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Our results highlight the magnitude of the problem across European soils and suggest that the practice of spreading sludge on agricultural land could potentially make them one of the largest global reservoirs of microplastic pollution,” said study lead author James Lofty, a doctoral student at Cardiff University’s School of Engineering.



“At present, there is currently no European legislation that limits or controls microplastic input into recycled sewage sludge based on the loads and toxicity of microplastic exposure. Efforts should be made to increase standardized monitoring of microplastic concentrations in sewage sludge and agricultural soils, which would provide a more accurate picture of contamination levels in soils across Europe,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749122004122">Environmental Pollution</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

European farmland is a huge reservoir of microplastics

In many European countries, sewage sludge is commonly used in...

Since 2014, a deadly disease has been spreading across Florida's coral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-map-coral-reefs-before-and-after-marine-heat-wave/">reefs</a>. A new study has found that baby corals are just as likely as adults to die from the disease.



The study, led by scientists at the <a href="https://www.rsmas.miami.edu/">University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science</a>, is the first to show the impacts of any coral disease on baby corals. The findings reveal that stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) infects baby corals with similar severity and mortality that we see in adult colonies.&nbsp;



Since first appearing in Miami in 2014, SCTLD has now spread throughout all of Florida’s coral reefs as well as the Caribbean. The disease is affecting over 20 coral species and has killed millions of coral colonies by causing white lesions and rapid tissue loss.



Previous surveys did not include baby corals and this has likely caused scientists to underestimate the mortality of the disease. “That’s like trying to understand how COVID-19 spreads through a population by examining only adults, without looking at whether and how the disease affects children,” said study lead author Olivia Williamson.



To conduct the study, the scientists exposed lab-raised juveniles of two species of brain corals, four-month-old boulder brain coral (Colpophyllia natans) and eight-month-old grooved brain coral (Diploria labyrinthiformis), to water containing colonies with active SCTLD for four weeks. Within 48 hours of exposure, both species began to develop lesions.



Within two to eight days of developing lesions, 60 percent of the boulder brain baby corals lost all tissue and died. Meanwhile, 38 percent of the disease-exposed grooved brain babies exhibited active disease lesions during the same period and only one death occurred.



The study also found that larger babies, and those who are clustered together in groups, were less likely to become diseased and die compared to smaller or solitary babies.



“There is a ray of hope in that size matters, and there is safety in numbers,” said Williamson. “Since some of them avoided becoming infected at all, it suggests that some corals harbor a degree of resistance – or are at least, relatively less susceptible – to disease.”



To further test the resistance in the remaining coral babies, the researchers conducted a second exposure. Within six days, all were dead.



This research is a warning to coral restoration practitioners about the risk of SCTLD in baby corals The study suggests that the risk can be reduced by growing coral recruits larger and promoting grouping.



The research team plans to help breed and raise baby corals that will not succumb to this disease through further research.



The study was published in the May 2022 issue of the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science">Frontiers in Marine Science</a><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.821165/full">.</a>



---



By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Baby corals do not have more disease resistance

Since 2014, a deadly disease has been spreading across Florida's...

Last summer, the heatwave in North America broke all previous records with a Canadian high of 49.6 °C in Lytton, British Columbia. This all-time high was recorded on June 29, and represented an increase of 4.6 °C from the previous peak. However, there have been several even more extreme heatwaves around the globe in the past decades, some of which hardly made the news headlines.&nbsp;



A new research study, led by scientists from the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>, has analyzed heatwaves not only in terms of their maximum <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soaring-temperatures-in-antarctica-have-scientists-in-shock/">temperatures</a>, but also in terms of how much of a deviation they represent from the average temperatures that are normal in each location. The results, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>, reveal the most intense heatwaves ever experienced across the world.&nbsp;



“The recent heatwave in Canada and the United States shocked the world. Yet we show there have been some even greater extremes in the last few decades," said study lead author Dr. Vikki Thompson. "Using climate models, we also find extreme heat events are likely to increase in magnitude over the coming century – at the same rate as the local average temperature.”



Heatwaves can bring death and devastation, especially when they are associated with raging wildfires. In western North America last summer, the heatwave and ensuing wildfires caused hundreds of fatalities, extensive damage to infrastructure and loss of crops. It was the most deadly weather event ever in Canada.&nbsp;



But when the researchers considered heatwaves in terms of their deviation from local average temperatures, the top three hottest-ever weather events were cause for some surprise. They were found in Southeast Asia in April 1998, which hit 32.8 °C, Brazil in November 1985, where peaks of 36.5 °C were recorded, and in Southern USA in July 1980, when temperatures rose to 38.4 °C.



“The western North America heatwave will be remembered because of its widespread devastation. However, the study exposes several greater meteorological extremes in recent decades, some of which went largely under the radar, likely due to their occurrence in more deprived countries," said Dr. Thompson.&nbsp;



"It is important to assess the severity of heatwaves in terms of local temperature variability because both humans and the natural ecosystem will adapt to this, so in regions where there is less variation, a smaller absolute extreme may have more harmful effects.”



The researchers also used sophisticated climate model projections to predict heatwave trends in the rest of this century. The modelling indicated that extreme temperature events are set to rise in frequency and intensity as global temperatures increase. Since these extreme events can cause such damage, it is important to understand where they have occurred in the past in order to establish measures, particularly in the most vulnerable regions, to help mitigate the effects.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Climate change is one of the greatest global health problems of our time, and we have shown that many heatwaves outside of the developed world have gone largely unnoticed," said study co-author Professor Dann Mitchell. "The country-level burden of heat on mortality can be in the thousands of deaths, and countries which experience temperatures outside their normal range are the most susceptible to these shocks.”



In 2019, the University of Bristol became the first UK university to declare a climate emergency, in recognition of the dangerous consequences of climate change. This university has also made a clear commitment to helping tackle climate change and its consequences.&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Some of the most extreme heatwaves fly under the radar

Last summer, the heatwave in North America broke all previous...

Jungle,In,Vietnam

Many of us have heard that more carbon in the air can be good for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-plants-thrive-under-environmental-stress/">plants</a>. Some scientists believe an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could cause tropical grasslands to grow more shrubs and trees, which would enable these areas to store an increasing amount of CO2.



However, an international team of climate scientists has discovered that an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has minimal effect on tropical forest-savanna transitions. In fact, fire activity and moisture availability were found to be the most important factors for an expanding forest.&nbsp;



"Simply put, we have shown that it does not matter how much CO2 is in the atmosphere if there is not enough water, or there are fires every year, or all the seedlings are eaten by animals," said study lead author William Gosling of the University of Amsterdam..



This means that simply replanting forests will not be enough to fight climate change because other factors created by climate change (drought and fire) will reduce the forest's ability to flourish.



"Our paper is a nail in the coffin of the CO2-is-dominant hypothesis and will hopefully lead to more realistic models," said study co-author Jonathan Overpeck of the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>. "The idea that you can just plant trees to sequester carbon, and those trees will be safe from a hotter, drier climate thanks to elevated atmospheric CO2 levels - that isn't a safe bet."



The research team gathered past carbon dioxide levels from ice-core records. They used the GENIE-1 Earth system model to predict temperature and temperature variation to carry out the study.



"We combined evidence of past environmental change extracted from sediments recovered from Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana with simulated past climate conditions, and the record of global atmospheric CO2 change obtained from ice cores over the last 500,000 years," explained Gosling.



"What is new from our data is that when you scale up to the landscape scale, the resources available and processes occurring within that landscape are more important than the CO2 fertilization."



Although the researchers recognize the limitations to their study, they hope that future models looking at CO2 fertilization will improve by including inputs such as herbivory and fire activity.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg4618">Science</a>.



---



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

Carbon dioxide has a minimal impact on tropical vegetation

Many of us have heard that more carbon in the...

California is the most fire-prone state in the United States. In 2020, over 9,900 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-will-release-massive-amounts-of-carbon-by-mid-century/">wildfires</a> burned about 4.3 million acres. A new study from the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a> has summarized the 2020 fire season and examined what drove the record-breaking fire activity.



The study said 2020 was the first year in recorded history that burned areas in California came close to rates seen before the 1800s, when an estimated 3-4 million acres burned in an average year.



Resource and fire managers have shifted their emphasis from reducing burned area to reducing fire severity and damage, and to restoring ecosystems after fire.



“The problem is that much of the burning we are seeing now is not restorative but destructive. The need to shift management goals is key, as is understanding the very important role that fuels play in driving fire severity,” said study lead author Hugh Safford.&nbsp;



For the past century, the key measure of success among forest managers has been decreased burned area, but that needs to change as increased fire severity is a greater concern.&nbsp;



Over the past 40 years, the increases in burned area occurred almost entirely in central and northern California forests, despite extreme warming taking place in Southern California. This is because of decades old fire exclusion policies that led to a huge increase in forest density and fuels, driving an explosion in large, destructive fires.



“In these ecosystems, reducing burned area is a cause of the current catastrophic trends, not a solution to them,” the authors said.



The researchers found that the 2020 fire season followed an accelerating, decades-long trend of increased burn area, severity, size and costs to society and the economy.



<ul><li>In 2020, fires killed 33 people with overall economic losses of more than $19 billion and firefighting costs of $2.1 billion.&nbsp;</li><li>The years 2020 and 2021 together burned more area than the previous seven years combined.</li><li>Between 2015 and 2020, total insured economic losses were more than $50 billion, and over 50,000 structures — mostly homes — were destroyed.</li><li>The increase in forest fires resulted in more than half of Californians experiencing unhealthy, and sometimes hazardous, air quality index levels for a month or more.&nbsp;</li><li>The state’s worst five days of air pollution in history all occurred in 2020, according to CalFire.</li><li>Wildfire-driven air quality in August and September likely also caused 1,200 to 3,000 “excess” deaths among people age 65 or older.</li><li>Overall, the 2020 fires emitted nearly 112 million metric tons of carbon and 1.2 million tons of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), 120 times more than California’s vehicles produced in the same year.</li></ul>



The study also assessed the severity patterns of the 2020 fire season. Fire severity is a measure of the impact of burning on an ecosystem, measured in this study by losses in vegetation biomass. It was found that fuel load-related variables, along with dryness and wind, are leading to increased severity.&nbsp;



Nearly 60 percent of the fires were caused by human activity such as arson, vehicles, power lines, campfires or unknown causes, while lightning sparked the rest. However, the lightning-sparked fires burned more than five times the area burned by human-caused fires.



“Extreme weather conditions are certainly playing a role, but climate change isn’t driving all the change we’re seeing,” said Safford. “Fuel loads played a major role in driving fire severity patterns in forested landscapes in 2020, like in other years. High fuel loads are due mostly to human management decisions over the last century or more, and we can do something about this issue.”



Recent agreements between the state and U.S. Forest Service that seeks to increase fuel-reduction activities, and the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan appear promising.&nbsp; But, the researchers urge that “there is no time to lose.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14668238">Global Ecology and Biogeography</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What caused the devastating 2020 fire season in California?

California is the most fire-prone state in the United States....

By recycling organic matter, controlling pests, and pollinating, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-groups-do-not-share-the-same-fate-even-when-they-share-a-habitat/">insects</a> are crucial for maintaining a healthy environment. A new survey study led by <a href="https://www.buglife.org.uk/">Buglife – the Invertebrate Conservation Trust</a> and the <a href="https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/">Kent Wildlife Trust</a> (KWT) has found that the number of flying insects in the United Kingdom has declined by nearly 60 percent since 2004. According to the researchers, this is a “terrifying” drop, calling for urgent conservation efforts.



The scientists asked survey participants to download an application called <a href="https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter/">Bugs Matter</a>, which enabled them to record their car journeys and the number of insects squashed on their registration plates.&nbsp;



The survey included nearly 5,000 journeys made in 2021, and determined the “splat rate” (the number of insects squashed each mile) for each trip. By comparing the results with those of a similar study conducted in 2004, the researchers found that the number of insects declined by 58.5 percent from 2004 to 2021 in the UK, with the highest decline recorded in England (65 percent), followed by Wales (55 percent) and Scotland (28 percent).



“This vital study suggests that the number of flying insects is declining by an average of 34 percent per decade – this is terrifying,” said study co-author Matt Shardlow, the CEO of Buglife. “We cannot put off action any longer, for the health and wellbeing of future generations this demands a political and a societal response. It is essential that we halt biodiversity decline now.”



“The results should shock and concern us all,” added Paul Hadaway, a Connectivity Program Manager at KWT. “We are seeing declines in insects which reflect the enormous threats and loss of wildlife more broadly across the country. We need action for all our wildlife now by creating more and bigger areas of habitats, providing corridors through the landscape for wildlife, and allowing nature space to recover.”



Although the researchers admit that it is difficult to extrapolate clear decline rates from only two large surveys, these new results are consistent with assessments of insect declines in other countries, such as the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.5236">car windshield survey</a> in rural Denmark, which was conducted every year from 1997 to 2017 and found an 80 percent decline in the abundance of flying insects.



In order to tackle this highly serious problem, the scientists demand urgent action from the government and councils, as well as from ordinary people, who could help protecting insect populations by not using pesticides, letting grass grow longer, and sowing wildflowers in their gardens.&nbsp;



The study is available for download on Buglife’s <a href="https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2022/05/Bugs-Matter-2021-National-Report.pdf">website</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

Scientists have found a "terrifying" decline in flying insects

By recycling organic matter, controlling pests, and pollinating, insects are...

Closeup,Yellow,Eye,Of,The,Dinosaurs,With,Terrifying.,Dinosaur,Hunters

In 2010, scientists described a small reptile called Faxinalipterus minimus, whose fossils - dating back to 225 million years ago, towards the end of the Triassic period - were found in Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. Faxinalipterus was assigned to the group <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-solved-pterosaurs-had-colorful-feathers/">Pterosauria</a>, which includes the first vertebrates to develop active flight. Its fossils were composed of bones from the postcranial skeleton and a part of the jaw (an upper jaw with several teeth) that was found separately in another field expedition. While it was not certain whether all parts belonged to the same animal and species, the scientists assumed at the time that they both belonged to Faxinalipterus.



However, a new study published in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/13276/">PeerJ</a> has reassessed these findings and concluded that, in fact, the isolated jaw belonged to another animal from a different species named Maehari bonapartei. This discovery was possible based on comparisons with a new fossil recently found at the same site, whose maxilla exhibited the same features as the jaw initially attributed to Faxinalipterus.



“There was always a great doubt whether the two specimens attributed to Faxinalipterus represented the same species, and whether this was a flying reptile,” said study lead author Alexander Kellner, the director of the <a href="https://www.museunacional.ufrj.br/">National Museum of Brazil</a>.&nbsp;These doubts have also troubled Borja Holgado, a paleontologist at the <a href="http://www.urca.br/portal2/">Regional University of Cariri</a>. After examining the materials, she concluded that they belonged to two different species.



&nbsp;“It was clear to me that this is a primitive reptile that did not belong to pterosaurs, as it did not present any unequivocal features of this lineage,” she said. “But the present knowledge of the faunas at the end of the Triassic indicates that the disparity of animals at that time was so great that animals that might resemble pterosaurs at first glance are not actually flying reptiles. This is what happened to Faxinalipterus and Maehary.”



After further analyses, the researchers concluded that the dentition pattern was not consistent with that of pterosaurs. Using a vast anatomical database, the scientists found that Faxinalipterus was closely related to lagerpetids, a branch considered to be a sister group to Pterosauria. Together, lagerpetids and pterosaurs form a broader group called Pterosauromorpha. According to the scientists, Maehary bonapartei was one of the most primitive members of this group.



“That is, Faxinalipterus and Maehary are not pterosaurs, but are related to them. Especially Maehary is configured as a key element in the elucidation of how the anatomical characteristics evolved along the lineage of pterosauromorphs to the pterosaurs themselves, fully adapted to the flight,” explained study senior author Rodrigo Müller, a biologist at the <a href="https://www.ufsm.br/">Federal University of Santa Maria</a>. “These species, with an estimated length of 30 cm for Faxinalipterus and 40 cm for Maehary, demonstrate the importance of continuing to collect fossils in this region,” he concluded.



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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

Experts describe a 225-million-year old reptile discovered in Brazil

In 2010, scientists described a small reptile called Faxinalipterus minimus,...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021EF002567">Earth’s Future</a> has found that, due to climate change, agricultural water scarcity is set to increase in over 80 percent of the world’s croplands by 2050. In order to examine current and future water requirements for global agriculture and to predict whether the water levels available will be sufficient in a world struggling with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-impacts-biodiversity-in-protected-areas-worldwide/">climate</a> change, the experts developed a new index to measure and predict water scarcity in agriculture’s two main sources: soil water that comes from precipitation (the so-called “green water”) and irrigation from lakes, rivers, or groundwater (“blue water”).



“As the largest user of both blue and green water resources, agricultural production is faced with unprecedented challenges,” said study lead author Xingcai Liu, an expert in the relationship between hydrology and climate change at the <a href="https://english.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a>. “This index enables an assessment of agricultural water scarcity in both rainfed and irrigated croplands in a consistent manner.”



Over the past century, the demand for water worldwide has grown twice as fast as the human population, leading to water scarcity and major threats to food security on every continent. However, previous water scarcity models mostly take into account the role of blue water, largely overlooking green water – the portion of rainwater available for plants in the soil.&nbsp;



The amount of green water available for crops depends on how much rainfall an area receives and how much of this water is lost due to evaporation or runoff. As temperatures and rainfall patterns change due to global warming, while farming practices intensify to meet the needs of an increasing population, the amount of green water available will also change significantly.&nbsp;



The scientists predict that changes in agricultural green water will impact up to 16 percent of global croplands. However, taking into account also the effects of blue water, the researchers estimated that, due to the impact of climate change, global agricultural water scarcity will worsen in up to 84 percent of croplands, with a loss of water supplies driving scarcity in over 60 percent of these croplands.



This new, more comprehensive index could help countries better assess the threats and causes of water scarcity, and develop strategies to mitigate the impact of future droughts. Some practices that could increase the conservation of agricultural water include: mulching, which reduces evaporation from the soils; no-till farming, which encourages water to infiltrate the ground; contour farming, where farmers till the soil on sloped land in rows with the same elevation in order to prevent water runoff and soil erosion; or adjustments in the timing of plantings in order to better align crop growth with changes in rainfall patterns.



“Longer term, improving irrigation infrastructure, for example in Africa, and irrigation efficiency would be effective ways to mitigate the effects of future climate change in the context of growing food demand,” concluded Professor Liu.&nbsp;



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

Agricultural water scarcity is about to get much worse

A new study published in the journal Earth’s Future has...

Many scientists believe that water is a key to understanding the behavior of the frozen form of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-model-can-identify-glaciers-at-risk-of-collapse/">glaciers</a>. Melt water is known to lubricate the base of a glacier and hasten movement towards the sea. Previously, unmapped reservoirs could speed glaciers, and as a result, release carbon.&nbsp;



In recent years, researchers in Antarctica have discovered hundreds of interconnected liquid lakes and rivers within the ice itself. Images of thick basins of sediments under the ice have been captured, and these potentially contain the biggest water reservoirs of all.&nbsp;



For the first time, a team has mapped a huge, actively circulating groundwater system in deep sediments in West Antarctica. These systems may have unknown implications for how Antarctica reacts to, or even contributes to, climate change.&nbsp;



“The amount of groundwater we found was so significant, it likely influences ice-stream processes. Now we have to find out more and figure out how to incorporate that into models.” said study lead author Chloe Gustafson, who did the research as a graduate student at Columbia University’s <a href="https://lamont.columbia.edu/">Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory</a>.&nbsp;



Most of Antarctica’s sedimentary basins lie below current sea level, and are thought to have formed on sea bottoms during warm periods when sea levels were higher. Under a warming climate, these ice shelves could pull back, allowing ocean waters to re-invade the sediments, and the glaciers behind them could raise sea levels worldwide.



The study concentrated on the 60-mile-wide <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Whillans-Ice-Stream">Whillans Ice Stream</a>, one of a half-dozen fast-moving streams feeding the Ross Ice Shelf, the world’s largest. Shallow drilling into the first foot of sediments brought up liquid water and a thriving community of microbes. But what lies further down has been a mystery.



In 2018, a U.S. Air Force ski plane dropped Gustafson, along with Lamont-Doherty geophysicst Kerry Key, geophysicist Matthew Siegfried, and mountaineer Meghan Seifert on the Whillans. Their mission was to better map the sediments using geophysical instruments over six exhausting weeks of work.&nbsp;



The team planted their instruments in snow pits, collecting readings at four dozen locations. Their analysis showed that, depending on location, the sediments extend below the base of the ice from a half kilometer to nearly two kilometers before hitting bedrock. It was confirmed that the sediments are loaded with liquid water all the way down. If all of it were extracted, it could form a water column from 220 to 820 meters high, or higher.



The research team was able to show that the groundwater becomes more saline with depth. This is because the sediments are believed to have formed 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, when ocean waters last reached the area, saturating the sediments with salt water. When the ice readvanced, fresh melt water was forced into the upper sediments. It probably continues to filter down and mix in today, said Key.



This slow draining of fresh water into the sediments could prevent water from building up at the base of the ice, acting as a brake on the ice’s forward motion. It is likely that fresh water is flowing through the sediments to the ocean, making room for more melt water to enter, and keeping the system stable.&nbsp;



However, a warming climate could lead to thinning of the ice surface, causing the direction of water flow to be reversed. This could further lubricate the base of the ice and increase its forward motion. This is concerning as the Whillans already moves ice seaward about a meter a day, considered fast for glacial ice.



Furthermore, if deep groundwater flows upward, it could carry up geothermal heat naturally generated in the bedrock, thawing the base of the ice and propelling it forward. But if that will happen, and to what extent, is not clear.



“Ultimately, we don’t have great constraints on the permeability of the sediments or how fast the water would flow,” said Gustafson. “Would it make a big difference that would generate a runaway reaction? Or is groundwater a more minor player in the grand scheme of ice flow?”



Another potential concern is the known presence of microbes in the shallow sediments. If groundwater begins moving upward, it would bring up the dissolved carbon used by these organisms, sending some of this carbon to the ocean. This could turn Antarctica into a source of carbon in a world already swimming in it. But again, the question is whether this would produce some significant effect, said Gustafon.



The new study is just a start to addressing these questions, said the researchers. “The confirmation of the existence of deep groundwater dynamics has transformed our understanding of ice-stream behavior, and will force modification of subglacial water models."



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Giant groundwater system discovered beneath Antarctica

Many scientists believe that water is a key to understanding...

We are probably all familiar with the way that hunger can change our behavior – make us grumpy, angry or less able to cope. But the way in which signals from the gut are communicated to the brain and end up causing changes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-uncovers-4000-years-of-foraging-behavior-among-albatrosses/">behavior</a> are not well understood.&nbsp;



Now, scientists from the <a href="https://www.salk.edu/">Salk Institute</a> have investigated this topic, using lowly worms as a model to examine the molecular origins of behavioral changes in hungry individuals. They created a barrier of copper sulfate, a known worm repellent, and allowed tiny worms (Caenorhabditis elegans) the option of crossing it to access food on the other side.



“Animals, whether it’s a humble worm or a complex human, all make choices to feed themselves to survive. The sub-cellular movement of molecules could be driving these decisions and is maybe fundamental to all animal species,” said senior author&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salk.edu/scientist/sreekanth-chalasani/">Sreekanth Chalasani</a>, associate professor in Salk’s Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory.



Chalasani and the team found that if worms were deprived of food for two to three hours, they were more willing to cross the toxic barrier to access the food than were well-fed worms. The researchers then used genetic tools and imaging techniques to establish whether molecules in the gut were signaling to the brain in ways that would explain this more risky behavior.&nbsp;



The results, published today in&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/">PLOS Genetics</a>,&nbsp;suggest that specific transcription factors, proteins that turn genes “on” and “off,” changed location in hungry animals.&nbsp; Normally, transcription factors are found in a cell’s cytoplasm but move into the nucleus when activated, but the Salk scientists found that these transcription factors, known as MML-1 and HLH-30, move back to the cytoplasm in cells of the gut when a worm is hungry.&nbsp;



When the scientists deleted these transcription factors, hungry worms stopped trying to cross the toxic barrier, indicating a central role for MML-1 and HLH-30 in controlling how hunger changes worm behavior.



In a subsequent experiment, the researchers also discovered that a protein called insulin-like peptide (INS-31) is secreted from the gut when MML-1 and HLH-30 are on the move. Neurons in the brain, in turn, make a receptor that might detect the INS-31secretions.



The authors summarize their findings as follows: in a worm deprived of food, the transcription factors MML-1 and HLH-30 move back to the cytoplasm of cells in the gut, which could promote the secretion of the protein called INS-31 from the gut cells. These INS-31 proteins then travel to, and bind to, receptors on neurons in the brain and this relays the information that food is needed. Worms then respond to the huger information by choosing appropriate behavior to access food, even if this involves taking risks.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“C. elegans&nbsp;are more sophisticated than we give them credit for,” said co-first author Molly Matty, a postdoctoral fellow in Chalasani’s lab. “Their intestines sense a lack of food and report this to the brain. We believe these transcription factor movements are what guide the animal into making a risk-reward decision, like traversing an unpleasant barrier to get to food.”



The researchers propose that such molecular mechanisms may also exist in humans and may change our behavior when we are hungry. They plan to undertake further research on the dynamic nature of these transcription factors and establish whether similar mechanisms operate in other animals, such as humans, to prioritize basic needs over comfort.



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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

Hunger alters the behavior of worms, and perhaps humans too

We are probably all familiar with the way that hunger...

The vaquita porpoise is one of only seven different porpoise species in the entire world – and its population is critically <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-insects-are-easy-to-purchase-illegally-online/">endangered</a>. The species is endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico, and is unusual in that it is the smallest of all cetacean species and the only member of the porpoise family to live in warm waters. Tragically, there are only 10 vaquita porpoises left.



This small marine mammal, which only reaches four to five feet in length, has been the unfortunate bycatch of poachers hunting the totoaba (Totoaba macdonaldi), an endangered fish species that is highly prized in some countries for its perceived medicinal properties.  Vaquitas are roughly the same size as the large totoaba that are illegally targeted using gillnets, and the porpoises easily become entangled in the nets and then drown. 



Fishing for totoaba has been outlawed in Mexico since 1975 but the ban has not been adequately enforced. The swim bladder of a totoaba is perceived in China as having medicinal and nutritional properties and is in such demand that the prices have become sky high. In fact, dried maw (swim bladder) from totoaba often fetches higher prices per kilogram than cocaine or gold. Despite the fact that the trade in totoaba is banned by CITES, the value of the maws makes them sought-after by poachers and so the illegal fishing and trade continues. Vaquitas are simply collateral damage in this situation.



A recent genetic analysis of vaquitas by a team of <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">UCLA</a> biologists and colleagues has, however, given a ray of hope for this critically endangered species. The experts analyzed the genomes from tissue of 20 vaquitas that lived between 1985 and 2017 and assessed the range of genetic variation present in the genomes. Using this information, they conducted computational simulations to predict the species’ risk of extinction over the next 50 years.&nbsp;



The results, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>, indicate that the species still has a relatively high genetic diversity and a low incidence of harmful mutations, despite the effects of inbreeding. The researchers say that this gives the living population a good chance of recovery, as long as gillnet fishing ends immediately.  If the threat of gillnets continues, however, the prospects of population recovery are very dim indeed. 



“Interestingly, we found the vaquita is not doomed by genetic factors, like harmful mutations, that tend to affect many other species whose gene pool has diminished to a similar point,” said study co-lead author Christopher Kyriazis. “Outlawed fishing remains their biggest threat.”



Genetic diversity is a measure of the differences in genes that exist between individuals in a population. The accepted understanding is that the greater the genetic diversity present in a population, the healthier that population is. Large populations tend to have many differences, while naturally smaller or reduced ones have fewer, resulting in individuals that are more genetically similar. Breeding between genetically similar individuals (known as inbreeding) increases the chances of offspring with harmful genetic mutations, as mutated genes can be passed on by both parents.&nbsp;



“A prevailing view in conservation biology and population genetics is that small populations can accumulate deleterious mutations,” said senior author Professor Kirk Lohmueller. “However, our finding that the vaquita likely has fewer strongly deleterious mutations hiding in the population means that they are better poised to survive future inbreeding, which bodes well for their overall recovery.”



“Relative to other species, the vaquita has a higher chance of rebounding from an extreme population crash without suffering severe genetic consequences from inbreeding,” said co-lead author&nbsp;Jacqueline Robinson. “Genetic diversity in vaquitas is not so low that it constitutes a threat to their health and persistence. It simply reflects their natural rarity.”



The fact that vaquitas have always been rare is what seems to protect them from the harmful effects of inbreeding. Although their historic numbers are not known, a comprehensive survey in 1997 counted 570 porpoises in their only known habitat, the Gulf of California. This means that some extent of inbreeding has probably been taking place for a long time and the harmful mutations have gradually been selected out of the population.&nbsp;



“They’re essentially the marine equivalent of an island species,” said Robinson, who noted that the species has survived for tens of thousands of years with low genetic diversity due to the small size of their population. “The vaquitas’ naturally low abundance has allowed them to gradually purge highly deleterious recessive gene variants that might negatively affect their health under inbreeding.”



In fact, Robinson said, of the 12 marine mammal species that the researchers analyzed genetically, vaquitas had the lowest number of potentially harmful mutations. This situation gives hope that the population of these porpoises may be able to rebound from the precipice of extinction, given the chance.



Encouragingly, the surviving vaquitas in the northern Gulf of California are actively reproducing and appear healthy. But poachers’ gillnets continue to pose an existential threat to them, and unless further measures are taken to protect the porpoises, there is a distinct possibility they may go extinct. The loss would be a great tragedy, said study senior author Professor Robert Wayne.



“The vaquita is symbolic of the unique diversity found in the Gulf of California, which was described by John Steinbeck in his wonderful 1951 book ‘The Log from the Sea of Cortez,’” said Wayne. “It represents a unique evolutionary lineage – there is no similar species anywhere in the world – and its loss would rob the ecosystem of an important predator adapted to this unique ecosystem.”



Image Credit: NOAA Fisheries&nbsp;



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

Vaquita porpoises may have a good chance at recovery

The vaquita porpoise is one of only seven different porpoise...

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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