Last year, a study suggested that deposits of carbon dioxide ice and other carbon-bearing molecules on Uranus’s moon Ariel likely originated from internal chemical processes - possibly even from a subsurface ocean.



Now, new research provides insight into how these materials may have reached, or may still be reaching, the moon’s surface.&nbsp;



Led by <a href="https://www.jhuapl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">APL</a> planetary geologist Chloe Beddingfield, the research points to medial grooves - trenches that cut through Ariel’s massive canyons - as the likely pathways for this movement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mysteries-of-ariel-s-interior-nbsp">Mysteries of Ariel’s interior&nbsp;</h2>



The findings indicate that these medial grooves function similarly to spreading centers on Earth, where new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/uranus-moon-ariel-may-have-a-hidden-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oceanic crust</a> forms as internal material rises to the surface.



“If we're right, these medial grooves are probably the best candidates for sourcing those carbon oxide deposits and uncovering more details about the moon's interior,” Beddingfield said. “No other surface features show evidence of facilitating the movement of materials from inside Ariel, making this finding particularly exciting.”



Ariel’s grooves are among the youngest known features on its surface. Scientists have long debated whether they formed through fissures caused by tectonic forces or through volcanic activity.&nbsp;



The team analyzed images captured by NASA’s Voyager 2 - the only spacecraft to have flown past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stunning-photo-of-uranus-and-its-rings-and-moons-captured-by-the-webb-telescope/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Uranus</a> and its moons - and concluded that these features more closely resemble spreading centers rather than volcanic conduits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-spreading-center-theory">The spreading center theory</h2>



One key piece of evidence comes from the way the canyon walls on either side of the medial grooves align. When the central canyon floors are digitally removed, the walls fit together like puzzle pieces, suggesting they were once joined before being pulled apart.&nbsp;



Additionally, the canyon floors feature regularly spaced ridges that resemble excavation tracks - patterns consistent with successive depositions of material, a hallmark of spreading centers.



Beddingfield explained that spreading centers arise from convection cells beneath the crust. As heat from Ariel’s interior pushes material upward, the surface cracks open, spreading apart as new material emerges and gradually cools.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-influence-of-tidal-forces-nbsp">The influence of tidal forces&nbsp;</h2>



Ariel, along with several other Uranian moons, has undergone multiple periods of geological activity, likely due to tidal forces.&nbsp;



These forces arise from orbital resonances - precise ratios in the orbital periods of moons that generate repeated gravitational interactions. The interactions create cycles of internal heating, potentially melting parts of the icy interior and then refreezing them over time.



“It’s a fascinating situation - how this cycle affects these moons, their evolution, and their characteristics,” Beddingfield said.



Some scientists believe that these resonances could have helped maintain subsurface oceans beneath Ariel and its smaller neighboring moon, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/miranda-uranus-moon-may-have-hidden-ocean-possibly-extraterrestrial-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Miranda</a>.&nbsp;



A recent 2024 <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad77d7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>, co-authored by APL’s Tom Nordheim, proposed that such tidal forces might have created an ocean within Miranda’s interior - one that could still exist today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ariel-s-internal-structure">Ariel’s internal structure</h2>



Ariel’s medial grooves could provide important clues about the moon’s internal structure, particularly regarding the presence of an ocean.&nbsp;



Nordheim noted that carbon-bearing compounds do not last long on planetary surfaces due to space weathering, suggesting that these materials must have been deposited relatively recently.



“These new results suggest a possible mechanism for emplacing fresh material and short-lived compounds, including carbon monoxide and perhaps ammonia-bearing species on the surface,” Nordheim said.



However, Beddingfield cautioned against making direct connections between Ariel’s possible ocean and the medial grooves.



“The size of Ariel’s possible ocean and its depth beneath the surface can only be estimated, but it may be too isolated to interact with spreading centers,” she explained.&nbsp;



“There’s just a lot we don’t know. And while <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-carbon-ices-discovered-objects-beyond-neptune-kuiper-belt/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon oxide ices</a> are present on Ariel’s surface, it’s still unclear whether they’re associated with the grooves because Voyager 2 didn’t have instruments that could map the distribution of ices.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-exploration-of-uranus">Future exploration of Uranus</h2>



Study co-author Richard Cartwright emphasized that further exploration is necessary to confirm the role of these medial grooves in transporting material from Ariel’s interior.



“We need an orbiter that can make close passes of Ariel, map its medial grooves in detail, and analyze their spectral signatures for components like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide,” said Cartwright.&nbsp;



“If carbon-bearing molecules are concentrated along these grooves, then it would strongly support the idea that they’re windows into Ariel’s interior.”



With Uranus gaining attention as a priority for future space exploration, Ariel and its enigmatic grooves may soon receive closer scrutiny. These investigations could unlock critical insights into the moon’s geological past - and potentially even into ongoing internal activity today.&nbsp;



The study is published in <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3847/PSJ/ad9d3f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Planetary Science Journal</a>.



Image Credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory



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Uranus's moon, Ariel, may have a hidden ocean under its frozen crust

Last year, a study suggested that deposits of carbon dioxide ice and other carbon-bearing molecules on Uranus’s moon Ariel likely originated from internal chemical processes - possibly even from a subsurface ocean. Now, new research provides insight into how these materials may have reached, or may still be reaching, the moon’s surface.&nbsp; Led by APL planetary geologist Chloe Beddingfield, the research points to medial grooves - trenches that cut through Ariel’s massive canyons - as the likely pathways for this movement. Mysteries of Ariel’s interior&nbsp; The findings...

Vervet monkeys are clever enough to determine the optimal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-uncovers-4000-years-of-foraging-behavior-among-albatrosses/">foraging</a> route that helps them to avoid stronger rivals, according to a new study. The experts found that the monkeys wait until their dominant group mates are too far away to interfere, selecting the shortest route to reach successive food sites and then leisurely snacking at each stop.&nbsp;



The vervets appear to assess the time that they will have before the more dominant monkeys return, and choose the best route to minimize their travel distance while maximizing food intake.&nbsp;



Study co-author Dr.&nbsp; Julie A. Teichroeb is an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto Scarborough.



“Here we show that vervet monkeys make foraging decisions that minimize travel time and distance, but also ensure they get access to their preferred food rewards when competitors are present," saps Dr. Teichroeb.



The results indicate that vervets have the cognitive ability to plan the ideal foraging route according to how much time they have. In humans, such strategies are related to rational thinking.&nbsp;



The researchers conducted experiments to study wild vervet monkeys in central Uganda. The experts were able to distinguish between 44 individuals based on their faces, fur color, and other natural markings.



“In previous work we have shown that vervets faced with a similar foraging problem immediately rush for preferred food sites when a competitor is present, but take the route that minimizes travel distance between food sites when foraging alone. In this feeding array, that would be to start at the nearest platform, then move along the outside of the array and only take the banana when it was encountered," explained Dr. Teichroeb.



“However, the large sample size in the present study allowed us to show that vervet foraging decisions were much more complex than the above simple dichotomy.”



The vervet monkeys selected the route that minimized travel distance when no group mates were near. When the stronger rivals were nearby, the monkeys quickly assessed the risk of competition and modified their route.&nbsp;



“When the competitor was at the array with them at the onset of the trial, the vervets took the hurried solution and immediately rushed to the banana, retrieving and eating it quickly. They also made a beeline for the banana when there was a high risk of competition," said study first author Dr. Jean Arseneau-Robar.



“This was the case if the dominant had short travel distance to travel time, or if the focal vervet was unskilled at retrieving the banana. But if the latter had a bit more time, he or she would stop to eat from a corn platform en route to the banana.”



Adults males who outranked the other members of the group did not bother to assess which food sites to visit, as they did not have to worry about competition.



“The adult males only needed to decide which food patches they wanted, and which patches they would let other group members have," said Dr. Arseneau-Robar.



According to Dr. Teichroeb, the findings show how incredibly complex foraging decisions can be in vervet monkeys.&nbsp;



"Decision-makers are taking in a lot of ecological and social information, while also considering their own current food-handling skill, and synthesizing this all very quickly before executing their route decision. And they are very good at making the best decisions, as they manage to get their preferred food in the vast majority of cases, even when under pressure.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</a>.



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

Vervet monkeys use a clever strategy to outsmart their rivals

Vervet monkeys are clever enough to determine the optimal foraging...

Early seafarers in the Pacific managed to populate some of the most remote and isolated islands in the world. This achievement, undertaken in open canoes without modern navigation technology, is one of the greatest feats of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dads-lead-young-birds-on-their-first-migration/">migration</a> in human history. These adventurers eventually populated habitable islands in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia and left us to wonder exactly how it all happened.



A new study by researchers from the <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/">Australian National University</a> (ANU), the University of New South Wales and the University of Papua New Guinea has now shed additional light on how the Lapita peoples may have used Papua New Guinea as a springboard for traveling to the Pacific islands. The term “Lapita” refers to an ancient Pacific culture with genetic origins in Southeast Asia, more specifically in what is today Taiwan and the Philippines. These seafaring people are believed by archaeologists to be the common ancestors of the contemporary cultures of the Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian islands.



The early settlers of these islands left behind few clues for scientists to reconstruct their journeys – these include clearly related languages on widely scattered island groups,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2013.12257">sweet potatoes</a>, stone tools and, in a few places, great stone statues of human figures. But they did leave some very distinctive ceramic ware. It was the discovery of just such a sherd of beautifully decorated Lapita pottery on Brooker Island, in 2017, that led ANU researcher Dr Ben Shaw to initiate further study on this island.&nbsp;



“Lapita cultural groups were the first people to reach the remote Pacific islands such as Vanuatu, around 3,000 years ago. But in Papua New Guinea where people have lived for at least 50,000 years, the timing and extent of Lapita dispersals are poorly understood,” Dr Shaw said.&nbsp;“For a long time, it was thought Lapita groups avoided most of Papua New Guinea because people were already living there.”&nbsp;Although fragments of the unique pottery have been found on mainland Papua New Guinea, archaeologists believed the Lapita people never settled in this area.



Excavations at Brooker Island extended back through the remnants of human habitation to a time of around 4,000 years ago. The findings, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a> show the presence of characteristic Lapita pottery with intricate dentate stamp decorations down to a time of around 3,000 years ago.&nbsp;



“We found lots of Lapita pottery, a range of stone tools and evidence for shaping of obsidian [volcanic glass] into sharp blades,” Dr Shaw said.&nbsp;



These finds are fairly typical of other Lapita archaeological sites in archipelagos in the region. However, on Brooker Island the excavation went below this level and revealed a complete change in artefacts, behavior and remains.&nbsp;



“As we dug deeper, we reached an even earlier cultural layer before the introduction of pottery. What amazed us was the amount of mammal bone we recovered, some of which could be positively identified as pig and dog. These animals were introduced to New Guinea by Lapita and were associated with the use of turtle shell to make tools,”&nbsp;explained Dr Shaw.&nbsp;



The findings provide the earliest evidence for Lapita-introduced animals, turtle bone technology and repeated obsidian import in southern New Guinea 3,480–3,060 years ago. This timing is synchronous with the establishment of the earliest known Lapita settlements, some 700 km away.



The researchers inferred from these findings that Lapita cultural groups introduced pottery to the site around 3,000 years ago. They found it more difficult to explain the presence of the other, older artefacts in the lower layers, however. Either the early inhabitants were Lapita people who were only temporarily based at the site and did not have time to make pottery before they moved off somewhere else, or the inhabitants were Papuans who had acquired domesticated pigs and dogs from Lapita groups at other island sites (Papuan cultures are not associated with the use of pottery).&nbsp;



What is certain is that the site gives evidence that interactions between the Lapita people and the Indigenous Papuans took place. This is supported by genetic analysis of several Lapita skeletal remains from other archaeological sites that identifies the presence of an admixture of Papuan genes.



Lapita culture can thus be seen as a complex mixture of cultural elements introduced from Southeast Asia and from long-established cultures in Papua New Guinea. The evidence points to a migration of Lapita people, first through the inhabited landscapes of Southeast Asia and then further southwards and eastwards to populate the hitherto uninhabited islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The site at Brooker Island gives evidence of Papua-Lapita interactions at the frontier of expansion into these new ecosystems.&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to Dr Shaw, later Lapita dispersals through Papua New Guinea, and interactions with Indigenous populations profoundly influenced the region as a global centre of cultural and linguistic diversity.&nbsp;



“It is one of the greatest migrations in human history and finally we have evidence to help explain why the migration might have occurred and why it took place when it did,” he said.&nbsp;



“We had no indication this would be a site of significance, and a lot of the time we were flying blind with the areas we surveyed and when looking for archaeological sites, so it is very much like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.”&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

Unraveling one of the greatest feats of human migration

Early seafarers in the Pacific managed to populate some of...

A new study led by <a href="http://eng.hubu.edu.cn/">Hubei University</a> has found that, after males of the orb-weaving <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-explain-spiders-complex-mating-choreography/">spider</a> Philoponella prominens mate with a female, they use a joint in their first pair of legs to quickly undertake a split-second catapult. The spiders launch themselves away from their sexual partners at high speeds reaching up to 88 centimeters per second. According to the experts, they do this in order to avoid being eaten by the female in an act of sexual cannibalism.



“We found that mating was always ended by a catapulting, which is so fast that common cameras could not record the details clearly,” said study lead author Shichang Zhang, an associate professor of Life Sciences at Hubei University.



Professor Zhang and his colleagues made this fascinating discovery while studying sexual selection in this species of spiders, who live in rather large groups of up to 300 individuals. Of the 255 successful couplings that the scientists observed, 152 ended with male catapulting, which all managed to survive their sexual encounters. The other three males were killed and eaten by the females.



Using high-resolution cameras, the researchers calculated an average peak-speed of catapulting spiders of approximately 65 cm/s, and an acceleration of about 200 m/s2.&nbsp; While soaring through the air, the males spin around 175 times per second. In order to perform such impressive feats, the spiders initially fold their tibia-metatarsus joint against the female. At the moment they release it, hydraulic pressure allows for extremely rapid expansion.



“We observed that males that could not perform the catapulting were cannibalized by the female. It suggests that this behavior evolved to fight against female’s sexual cannibalism under strong predation pressure of females,” Professor Zhang explained.



“Females may use this behavior to judge the quality of a male during mating,” he added. “If a male could not perform catapulting, then kill it, and if a male could perform it multiple times, then accept its sperm.”



In future research, the scientists aim to explore the role that the catapulting abilities of male spiders may play to ensure mating success.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)00485-7">Current Biology</a>.



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

Male spiders catapult away from sex partners to avoid being eaten

A new study led by Hubei University has found that,...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a> has identified a lesser-known form of ozone that seems to be playing a large role in heating the Southern Ocean – which is one of the Earth’s major cooling systems - by removing a large amount of carbon dioxide and excess heat from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-atmosphere-is-expanding-due-to-climate-change/">atmosphere</a>. While many previous studies have described the ozone layer in the stratosphere and its crucial role in protecting humans and animals from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation, researchers have now discovered that a form of ozone closer to the ground (tropospheric ozone) can be highly damaging for your planet, by significantly warming up the Southern Ocean.



“People haven’t paid much attention in the past to tropospheric ozone in terms of ocean heat uptake. Based on our models, they should be,” said study lead author Wei Liu, a climate scientist at UC Riverside.



Together with an international team of scientists, Dr. Liu explored climate model simulations with changes in ozone levels between 1955 and 2000. These simulations aimed to isolate both stratospheric and tropospheric ozone from other influences on Southern Ocean temperatures, allowing the researchers to assess how each factor contributes to ocean temperature rises.



While both factors were found to significantly contribute to warming, scientists were surprised to discover that tropospheric ozone played a larger role in this process. “Historically, about a third of the ocean’s warming is attributable to ozone. For this third, about 40 percent is from the stratosphere, and the rest is troposphere,” said Dr. Liu.



According to Dr. Liu and his colleagues, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from products such as pesticides, automobiles, or tobacco smoke are the gases that form the building blocks of tropospheric ozone, together with nitrogen oxides produced by combustion, and carbon monoxide from gas stoves, furnaces, or automobile exhaust. Most of these products could be modified to produce fewer VOCs.&nbsp;



“Tropospheric ozone is an air pollutant. If we reduce our production of this, we get the dual benefits of less air pollution and most likely, less Southern Ocean warming as well,” concluded Dr. Liu.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01320-w">Nature Climate Change</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

Lesser-known form of ozone contributes the most to global warming

A new study led by the University of California, Riverside...

According to a new study presented at the <a href="https://www.seismosoc.org/annual-meeting/">Seismological Society of America’s Annual Meeting</a>, the presence of diamonds deep in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-resolutions-misconceptions-about-recycling-plastics/">Earth</a> suggests that fluids play an essential role in generating earthquakes at depths where high pressures should keep brittle failure from happening.&nbsp;



Although fluid-assisted faulting in subducted slabs 300 to 700 kilometers deep – in the transition zone between the upper and lower mantle - may explain deep earthquakes, evidence for this process was scarce until recently. However, the discovery of diamonds formed in this transition zone (“sublithospheric diamonds”) provide clear evidence of the presence of fluids carried by subducting slabs, since these diamonds’ internal growth structure indicate that they are formed from fluids moving through host rock.



“I think it’s up to the seismological community at this point to try to understand why fluids would be important,” said study lead author Steven Shirey, a geochemist of the <a href="https://carnegiescience.edu/">Carnegie Institution for Science</a>.&nbsp;“We know fluids are down there, we know they’re moving, and the petrology of the diamonds tell you that, because these diamonds always form in regions of the mantle where fluids are moving. Diamonds tell you there is a crack or vein relationship with host mantle. You have to have fluids moving through host rock in veins or cracks and equilibrating with it.”



According to Dr. Shirey and his colleagues, deep earthquakes – occurring 500 to 700 kilometers below the Earth’s surface, appear to happen only in the slabs which can transport water or that can carry carbonate deep enough to trigger melting. At such depths, water or carbonate fluids could be triggering the earthquakes, or the earthquakes could trigger fluid release, or both things could happen.



The distinctive chemistry and inclusions of sublitospheric diamonds are telltale signs of their origin from the subducted oceanic plate. They indicate that fluid-bearing rock does make its way into the mantle, and is carried by cold subducting slabs, ultimately giving rise to deep earthquakes. Further research is needed to map the precise locations where these earthquakes form, by clarifying the position of the slabs.



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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

What can diamonds reveal about the formation of earthquakes?

According to a new study presented at the Seismological Society...

Bacteria in the ocean are incredibly numerous and play important roles in the marine ecosystem, some of which we may not yet understand. Despite their plentitude, there are many gaps in our knowledge of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-is-the-perfect-time-to-support-the-ocean-decade/">ocean</a> microbes. New research sought to investigate one of the most basic aspects of the lives of marine bacteria - do they actively hunt or merely drift through the water consuming whatever they encounter? The science suggests the former.&nbsp;



An international group of scientists led by researchers at the <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/">University of Technology Sydney</a> (UTS) used microchips to peer into the world of microbes. What they discovered is that bacteria move in ways comparable to larger animals when foraging.&nbsp;



“We had some idea that microbes could swim around their immediate environment to find and exploit food patches, but the only available evidence came from laboratory experiments, which are often not very realistic or representative of natural environments," said study lead author and microbial ecologist Dr. Jean-Baptiste Raina.



"This kind of behavior had never been comprehensively examined in the environment among natural populations of microbes. Now, for the first time, we’ve been able to show that the swimming behaviour of microbes in the natural environment is governed by the attraction of bacteria to specific chemical cues, which dictates important processes and interactions that structure the base of the marine food web.”



The scientists created bacteria traps in order to investigate the microbes feeding preferences and found that certain chemicals that the bacteria consume create “feeding frenzies.” The scientists say that the behaviors and preferences of bacteria can have important implications.&nbsp;



“When we think about how small a bacterium is, it is easy to dismiss the consequences of its behavior," explained study senior author Professor Justin Seymor.



"However, because marine bacteria are so numerous and diverse, the way they find, consume and recycle chemicals in seawater can have a profound influence on processes that control global climate and the productivity of the marine food web."



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



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

Marine bacteria hunt with purpose

Bacteria in the ocean are incredibly numerous and play important...

Many things have changed in the two years since the beginning of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-illness-increases-risk-of-breakthrough-covid-infections/">COVID-19</a> pandemic: a series of innovative vaccines have been developed and distributed to a large number of people, highly efficient antiviral treatments are now available (although mostly in richer countries). And, with the fulminant passage of the highly contagious yet less severe Omicron variant through most of the world, there is currently a massive amount of natural immunity among most of the globe’s population. 



With restrictions such as mask wearing or social distancing eased or even dropped completely in many countries, more responsibility in calculating the risks of coronavirus infections now lie on the shoulders of each individual.&nbsp;



Several scientists - such as Katelyn Jetelina (a professor of Epidemiology at the <a href="https://sph.uth.edu/campuses/dallas">University of Texas School of Public Health</a>) or Cameron Byerley (an associate professor of Mathematics Education at the <a href="https://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a>) - have recently tried to quantify individual risks engendered by COVID, depending upon factors such as age, vaccination status, or comorbidities. “We’re doing a really terrible job of communicating risk,” said Dr. Jetelina. “I think that’s also why people are throwing their hands up in the air and saying, ‘Screw it.’ They’re desperate for some sort of guidance.”



Comparing the risks of being hospitalized or dying from a COVID infection with the risks entailed by engaging in other activities such as driving, participating in wars, or taking drugs, these experts came up with rather optimistic and reassuring statistics. For instance, while an average 40-year-old vaccinated more than six months ago faces the same chance of being hospitalized after an infection as someone does of dying in a car accident in the course of 170 cross-country road trips, an average unvaccinated 65 years old person is as likely to die from an Omicron infection as a person using heroin for one year and a half. However, an average vaccinated and boosted senior 65 or older faces a risk of dying from COVID only slightly higher than that of a soldier fighting for a year in the Afghanistan war from 2011.



While such statistical and probabilistic analyses are indeed reassuring, the fact that the coronavirus is still circulating widely in many areas of the world, while a large number of immunocompromised individuals cannot much rely on vaccines or previous infections to protect them, placing the burden of risk assessment completely on the shoulders of individuals is perhaps not yet the best course of action. 



“As much as we wouldn’t like to believe it, we still need a society-wide approach to the pandemic, especially to protect those who can’t benefit fully from vaccination,” said Anne Sosin, an expert in Health Equity at <a href="https://home.dartmouth.edu/">Dartmouth College</a>.



An in-depth discussion of COVID risks, together with comparisons with other activities, can be found in Dr. Jetelina’s open-access article “<a href="https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/understanding-risk?s=r">Understanding Risk</a>,” while Dr. Byerley’s interactive online tool which allows people to adjust their age, vaccination status, or health background in order to predict the risks a coronavirus infection might entail can be accessed <a href="https://www.covidtaser.com/comparison-mobile6">here</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

How do we quantify the risk of a COVID infection?

Many things have changed in the two years since the...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.uab.cat/web/universitat-autonoma-de-barcelona-1345467954774.html">Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona</a> have presented a brand new perspective on how early humans adapted to climate change. The evidence was discovered in the remains of ancient marine mollusk shells.



"Current global climate warming is having, and will continue to have, widespread consequences for humans. Looking to the past, multiple climatic and environmental changes have long been thought to have shaped human evolution and behavior," wrote the researchers.



According to the experts, the "8.2 ka event" was the largest and most abrupt climate change event of the past 11,700 years. This was caused by meltwater from North American lakes flooding into the North Atlantic and stopping ocean circulation systems.



"The influx of cold water into the Atlantic Ocean led to a reduction of sea surface salinity and a decline of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), provoking a reduction in sea surface temperatures (SST) across the North Atlantic," explained the researchers. "The cooling effects of this event have been documented in proxies from the Greenland ice cores and across Europe."



Study lead author Asier García Escárzaga and colleagues used stable carbon isotope analyses to examine marine mollusk shells that were collected in the El Mazo cave along the European Atlantic coast. El Mazo has a long stratigraphic sequence of 1,500 years, with especially high chronological resolution of each archaeological layer.



The results showed that colder ocean water temperatures led to changes in the availability of different shellfish species. For example, one of the most commonly consumed species decreased during the 8.2 ka event, while another commonly harvested species increased.



The results also revealed a major increase in mollusk exploitation by humans. This activity was indicated by a decrease in average mollusk size and evidence of increased harvesting in more dangerous coastal areas.&nbsp;



"A decrease in shell size was also observed at El Mazo during this colder period, something that has been variously linked to either changes in sea surface temperatures or a higher human pressure on coastal resources, mostly in the form of demographic increase and additional resource pressure," wrote the study authors.



"At El Mazo, a clear reduction in shell size for the three most dominant mollusc species can be seen during the 8.2 ka event. Given that each of these species have well-documented differences in temperature tolerance, it seems that changes in sea surface temperatures cannot be considered responsible for changes in shell size."



The researchers propose that humans were flocking to the Atlantic coast as a refuge during the cold event. Despite the influx of people, however, the fossil evidence suggests that humans living around El Mazo managed to avoid over-exploiting their coastal resources. The experts found that the average mollusk size very rarely decreased below 20 millimeters, which has since been established as the minimum size needed to guarantee long-term species survival.&nbsp;



“Our results suggest an ongoing application of local marine ecological knowledge by some of the last foragers in western Europe, despite major changes to climate and demography," explained García-Escárzaga.



The techniques used in the study could be extremely useful for other studies seeking to determine the significance of climate change on marine environments. The research also provides new clues to help predict the nature of future climate change and the impacts on human societies.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.



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

Mollusk shells reveal new clues about past climate change

Researchers at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have presented a...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.uu.nl/en">Utrecht University</a>, scientists have investigated the mental well-being of shelter dogs by examining stress hormones.&nbsp;



"Dogs can suffer from chronic stress in environments that are sub-optimal to their needs, such as in many kennel environments," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"Chronic stress may exceed the animals’ adaptive capacity and thus, threaten its welfare state. Chronic stress may even elicit medical and behavioral problems in the long term. Therefore, to improve canine welfare, reliable and feasible non-invasive indicators of long-term stress levels need to be evaluated."



It comes as no surprise that shelter dogs are stressed. They are exposed to lots of other dogs, strange humans and are more isolated from the outside world.



"We know that a shelter is not a stress-free environment for dogs, even though staff members do their best to achieve the highest possible welfare," said lead researcher Janneke Van der Laan. "Even if you organize a shelter in the best possible way, there are still stress factors, such as crowds of other dogs and not being able to go outside as often as usual. And most important: the dog is gone from their old, familiar environment.”



The scientists carried out the research by measuring levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is found in humans as well as dogs. The cortisol levels can be measured from hair samples, so the research team collected hair from dogs at the beginning of their stay at a shelter, throughout the course of their stay, and after they were adopted out.  



"In addition to the cortisol measurements in hair, we also measured cortisol values in the dogs’ urine. This gives a short-term picture while the hair measurements show the long term," explained van der Laan.



"We took daily measurements in the shelter for over a year. After adoption, the new owners - after clear instructions - cut the dogs hair and sent it to us. They were helpful and enthusiastic, and were very interested in what their dog had experienced before adoption.”



The dogs' cortisol levels started at the same levels of other domestic dogs but rose during their time at the shelter, peaking after six weeks. Fortunately, these stress levels fell at about the same rate when dogs found new homes and ultimately returned to normal. One surprising (and so far unexplained) result was that smaller dogs exhibited higher cortisol levels than their larger counterparts.&nbsp;



The study shows that even a shelter like the one used, which does its best to improve welfare for animals, is a stressful place for dogs. The research highlights the need to get dogs adopted as soon as possible to good homes.&nbsp;



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



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

Shelter dogs have high levels of stress

In a new study from Utrecht University, scientists have investigated...

A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> in UK and Stellenbosch University in South Africa has recorded sounds made by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humpback-whales-travel-thousands-of-miles-to-mate/">humpback whales</a> at the Vema Seamount in the Atlantic Ocean, a few hundreds of miles west of the South African coast. The recordings revealed a variety of calls, including an “impulsive sound” – dubbed “gunshot” by the scientists – that has never been recorded before.



The researchers used moored hydrophones deployed during the Southern Hemisphere spring of 2019 to record the whales’ calls. These calls were detected during a period of 11 days, and were categorized into continuous “song” and shorter “non-song” calls. 



Among the over 600 non-song calls recorded, the most common one was a low “whup,” which is known to be used between mothers and calves to help them locate each other. Occasionally though, whales also “whup” while feeding. Other sounds included “grumble” calls – which are also emitted by whales while feeding – as well as a more mysterious “gunshot” call, whose significance is still unknown.



“We still don’t fully understand what the “gunshot” call means, and it is fantastic to record it in humpback whales for the first time,” said&nbsp;study co-author Dr. Kirsten Thompson, a population biologist at the University of Exeter. “It really shows how much we still have to learn about these incredible animals.”



According to Dr. Thompson, the “whup” and “grumble” calls confirm that the whales passing through&nbsp;the Vema Seamount during their long migration to the polar regions are feeding. “Seamounts can provide rich habitat for all sorts of migratory species and we urgently need widespread protection of the global oceans to ensure these habitats can persist.”



Although the area around the Vema Seamount was heavily overfished after its discovery in 1959, it is now closed for fishing and recognized as a vulnerable marine ecosystem in need of protection due to its unique biodiversity. However, no legally binding international agreement exists to protect the network of seamounts in the high seas.



“50 years ago, governments came together to turn around the fate of humpback whales. Now they have a chance to secure the progress already made and protect the high-seas habitats that whales rely on. While such large areas of our oceans remain unprotected, these ecosystems are highly vulnerable. A coherent and connected network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across our oceans is urgently needed to ensure seamounts like Vema are protected,” concluded Dr. Thompson.



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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

Humpback whale calls reveal mysterious gunshot sound

A team of researchers from the University of Exeter in...

According to a new report released by the <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/">Copernicus Climate Change Service</a> (C3S) on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/for-earth-day-lets-make-our-planets-heartbeat-louder/">Earth Day</a> 2022, Europe experienced its warmest summer on record in 2021, with over 1.0°C above the 1991-2020 average. Severe and long-lasting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-reduce-the-oceans-ability-to-absorb-carbon/">heatwaves</a> contributed to wildfires in Greece, Italy, and Turkey, and were compounded by heavy rainfall causing massive floods in Western Europe. Moreover, in large areas of the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, annual sea surface temperatures spiked substantially and were the highest since at least 1993.&nbsp;



“2021 was a year of extremes including the hottest summer in Europe, heatwaves in the Mediterranean, flooding, and wind droughts in Western Europe, showing that the understanding of weather and climate extremes is becoming increasingly relevant for key societal sectors,” said Carlo Buontempo, the director of C3S.



Although spring in Europe was cooler than average last year, summer temperatures rose well beyond their expected values, reaching an all-time record of 48.8 degrees in Sicily, and causing devastating wildfires in several European countries (the total area burnt during July and August in the Mediterranean region exceeded 800,000 hectares). According to Freja Vamborg, a senior scientist at C3S, the main reason for these European (as well as global) temperature spikes and extreme weather events is the increased atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases.



“It is the same key message on greenhouse gases that is forever repeated. We see large increases in carbon dioxide in 2021, and it is the main driver behind a general global rise in average temperature between 1.1 and 1.2 degrees Celsius (1.98 and 2.16 degrees Fahrenheit) since the pre-industrial age,” Vamborg said.



The report revealed that global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide increased by 2.3 parts per million and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/methane-emissions-are-higher-than-previously-estimated/">methane</a> by 16.5 parts per million. “The rise has been steady for both greenhouse gases with no sign of reduction over the last 10 years. However, we saw a larger than usual increase of methane in both 2020 and 2021,” said Vincent-Henry Peuch, the director of the <a href="https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/">Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service</a>.



&nbsp;“An increase of methane concentrations could be linked not only to emissions but also to a possible change in the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. More research is required to get a robust understanding. Still, some recent work points towards changes in tropical areas and emissions from natural sources like wetlands and from human sources such as rice culture and cattle.”



If urgent measures are not taken by governments, policy makers, as well as each and every individual to significantly curb these emissions, last year’s summer will undoubtedly be followed by even more severe ones, significantly threatening life on Earth as we know it.&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

Europe experienced its warmest summer on record last year

According to a new report released by the Copernicus Climate...

In Steven Spielberg’s iconic film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), the lead character – played by Harrison Ford – warns of the dangers of small scorpions, claiming that “when it comes to scorpions, the bigger the better.” Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.nuigalway.ie">National University of Ireland, Galway</a> (NUI Galway) has confirmed Indiana Jones’ insights. By analyzing 36 species of scorpion, the scientists found that smaller species with smaller pincers have more potent venom compared to larger species with robust claws.



“When we look at the most potent, and dangerous, scorpion venoms we find they tend to be associated with species such as the deathstalker which are relatively small. In contrast, the biggest species such as rock scorpions have venoms that are likely to only cause slight pain,” said study senior author Kevin Healy, a lecturer of Zoology at NUI Galway. “Outside of entertaining movie trivia there are good evolutionary reason to expect the results and important medical implications for such patterns.”&nbsp;



Dr. Healy and his colleagues argued that, although scorpions use both their venomous sting and their pincers to capture prey and defend themselves, there is an evolutionary trade-off between these weapons. Energy used to make and maintain larger pincers means less energy is available for the scorpion’s chemical arsenal. Thus, larger scorpions that can use their physical size are less reliant on venom, while smaller ones have evolved more potent, deadly venoms.



“Not only did we find that bigger is better - when it comes to people being stung - we also found that bigger pincers are better when it comes to assessing the danger level of a scorpion. While species such as large-clawed scorpion might be small to medium in size, they mainly rely on their large pincers instead of their relatively weak venom,” explained study lead author Alannah Forde, a graduate student in Zoology at NUI Galway.



Since scorpion stings are a global health problem with over one million cases and thousands of deaths each year, identifying the attacking species is vital for treatment.&nbsp;



“As scientists, our job is also to put popular wisdom to the test. Most victims hospitalized with severe symptoms following scorpion stings are children below the age of 15. Identifying the species responsible is essential to administer the correct treatment, and a simple rule such as ‘bigger is better’ is a first small step toward saving lives,” concluded another senior author, Dr Michel Dugon, Head of the <a href="https://www.nuigalway.ie/zoology/research/venom/">Venom System Lab</a> at NUI Galway.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/14/3/219">Toxins</a>.&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

Indiana Jones was right, small scorpions are more deadly

In Steven Spielberg’s iconic film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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